Unicorns Attack!
by Wolcott
Summary: Kurt's comments about bisexuality begin to make him unpopular at Dalton.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: No, this does not take place in the same universe as _Be Wary of Warblers _or _Warblers in the Woods_. Yes, Andrew and Seth will be involved. No, I am not finished with the next update for _Woods_. I know it's been a while, but I'm working on it.

* * *

Kurt and Blaine were not the only Dalton boys who frequented the Lima Bean. Along with the debate team, and the mathletes, there was Lennon Canyon, editor of the Dalton Gazette and long-term lover of gossip. He sat at the table behind the two Warblers, sipping on his spiced apple cider and doodling in moleskin notebook, pretending not to listen to their conversation.

"…Wait a second, you can't lead her on."

"Who says I'm leading her on?"

Lennon's eyebrows disappeared into his blond bangs, but he kept his eyes glued to his notebook.

"You can't be serious."

"When we kissed, it felt good."

"It felt good because you were drunk."

Lennon let himself smile. Usually their conversations were about scarves and musicals and football. _This_ was interesting.

"What's the harm in going on one crummy little date?"

"You're _gay_, Blaine."

"I thought I was, but I've never even had a boyfriend before. Isn't this the time where you're supposed to figure stuff out?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this."

Lennon couldn't really believe it either.

"Maybe I'm bi, I don't know."

"Bisexual is a term that gay guys in high school use when they want to hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for once!"

Lennon straightened up and blinked. He quickly turned a page of his notebook and scribbled down what he knew about Kurt Hummel.

_New kid. Warbler. Gay. Big, obvious and painful crush on Blaine Anderson._

He tilted his head in order to catch every word of their argument. He listened as Kurt accused Blaine of crawling back into the closet, and as Blaine confessed to not being completely sure of who he was.

"…I was really lucky to be chased out of high school by a bully who threatened to kill me."

Lennon quickly jot down this new piece of juicy information. He glanced around the café to see if anyone else was eavesdropping on this epic exchange, but the other patrons were too wrapped up in their own little worlds to notice a friendship crumbling right before them.

Blaine stood up. "I'll see ya. I'd say_ bye_ but I wouldn't want to make you angry."

As Blaine left, Lennon tucked his notebook into his jacket pocket, barely able to contain his glee. He gathered his things and gave Kurt a polite nod as he walked by. It wasn't quite headline worthy yet. He needed to stir things up until the bisexuality issue was hot enough to print. One text to a socially influential (not to mention bisexual) friend, and by the end of the week, Lennon would have a story.

_So I just heard that new Warbler Kurt saying bis were just gay dudes in denial. Douche bag or what?_

He only made it to his moped when he got a response. _OMGWTF._

Lennon grinned and typed out a quick _IKR?_ before putting on his helmet and pulling out.

* * *

MONDAY

Kurt rushed through the halls to make it to European History on time, gripping his bag with one hand and pushing other students aside with the other. He had to wake up at 5 am every single morning to make the commute, but sometimes, no matter how early Kurt set out, traffic would still make him late. One more tardy in European History and he was sure Mr. Ross would give him detention. Kurt squeezed passed a group of boys he thought might have been on the debate team, when he saw his classroom door at the end of the hall. Light poured out of it, shining like a beacon, and with two minutes to spare. Kurt grinned and picked up the pace.

He didn't even see the boy who stepped out in front of him, knocking him over. Kurt fell onto his side, his bag awkwardly breaking his fall. He pat down his disheveled hair and looked around. Behind him, he saw Nick, a Warbler, glanced back at him before moving along. Kurt frowned and stood up, adjusting his blazer. A horribly familiar feeling bubbled up in his stomach, a feeling of humiliation usually associated with slushies and being slammed into lockers. He shook his head and continued towards his classroom.

Nick wasn't Karofsky, he told himself as he sat down at his usual desk in the back. Dalton was not McKinley and Kurt was safe here.

The uneasy feeling in his stomach continued to brew through his next few periods until lunch, where he saw Blaine waving to him from across the Dalton dining hall. The two of them hadn't _quite_ made up since their argument over Rachel, but they weren't exactly fighting. Blaine was still his best friend at this school, and Kurt liked to think Blaine felt the same way.

Like all high school cafeterias, every clique had its own table. The various sports teams tended to sit by the food line, while more academic clubs stationed themselves near the library. Kurt generally sat with his fellow Warblers, but today he stood rigid between the Chess Club and the kids who ran the Dalton Gazette. He _wanted_ to keep moving, to sit right across from Blaine and act like nothing was wrong, but something held him back.

Nick sat on the table, looking down at Blaine and talking to him. There was nothing wrong with that, really. Nick and Blaine were friends. All the guys in the Warblers were friends. Kurt took a deep breath. Just because Nick ran into him earlier was no reason to be paranoid. He watched as Nick ran his fingers through his dark hair. He wore an armband Kurt had never seen before. Three stripes, magenta, lavender and royal blue, wrapped around Nick's wrist. Kurt frowned and squinted, hoping this wasn't some new fashion trend.

"Everything ok, Hummel?"

Kurt turned to see the only person he actively disliked at Dalton Academy. A lanky boy with wiry blond hair and hideous aviator sunglasses, Lennon Canyon (Kurt was _sure_ that couldn't be his real last name) always seemed to be _hanging around_. Kurt saw him at the library, at the Lima Bean, at the mall. He always had this awful look on his face, like he wanted you to think he knew all you secrets.

Kurt nodded. "I'm fine, Lennon. Now, if you'd please excuse me…"

He moved to walk around the other boy, but he stepped in front of him to block his path.

"That was a _nasty_ fall you took this morning," Lennon said, casually picking lint off of his sweater vest.

"I said I was _fine_, Lennon." Kurt pursed his lips.

Lennon smiled and Kurt resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It was Nick who knocked you over, right?"

"It was an _accident_." Kurt snapped. He didn't actually know either way, but he really didn't want to talk to this guy anymore.

Lennon nodded, taking of his sunglasses and cleaning them with a handkerchief he pulled out of his back pocket. "Oh, of _course_ it was. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"And I _am_," said Kurt. "So you can _go away_ now."

Kurt pushed past Lennon as he laughed and head toward the Warbler table. He must've had the most annoyed look on his face, because when they saw him coming, Blaine's usually brilliant smile fell, and Nick hopped off his spot on the table to find a seat at the other end. Kurt sat down and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"That kid is such a _creep_." Kurt said as he exhaled.

"Who, Lennon?" asked Blaine. "Yeah, kind of. He thinks he's Perez Hilton."

Kurt opened his eyes, determined that he would look at Blaine and Blaine only. He would not glance over to the other end of the table to see what Nick was up to. He would not be so paranoid in a perfectly safe environment. That is how things would have gone if the first thing he saw wasn't Blaine, his head turned to the right, giving Nick a small wave. Kurt glanced over to Nick and Jeff at the end, the feeling in his stomach boiling over. Nick smiled and nodded at Blaine before catching Kurt's eye. He raised an eyebrow at him, and then turned to Jeff, holding his hand up to his mouth and whispering something.

Kurt gulped, and tore his eyes away. He spent the rest of his lunch hour decidedly not looking in that direction, staring straight ahead of him to avoid Nick to his right, and Lennon to his left

Throughout the rest of his classes, Kurt tied to calm down and concentrate on his work, but every whisper, every mutter and mumble _screamed_ at him like nails on a chalkboard. Kurt told himself over and over that he had no reason to believe they were talking about him. Kurt hadn't done anything gossip worthy. Kurt cringed when he remembered that the last rumor storms that blew through Dalton were whether Andrew Starkofsky's parents were Nazis (they weren't) or if Seth Vention was a hermaphrodite (jury's still out on that one) or if Greg Houghton was a sex addict (he _probably_ wasn't), so Kurt knew that Dalton wasn't really against completely making shit up.

In his last period, Marine Biology, their nervous and unsure substitute teacher showed them a documentary about narwhals. Kurt took this time to relax and let David Attenborough's soothing voice wash over him.

"Hey, Kurt. _Kurt_. Hey."

Kurt rubbed his eyes and turned around. Two boys he shared a few other classes with grinned at him in the dark.

"What?" he whispered.

"What's your opinion on these whales, huh?"

Kurt squinted at him. "_What_?"

"They're pretty cool, right?"

Kurt glanced back at the screen before answering. "I… guess?"

"Or do you think they're just unicorns _in denial_?" The boys burst into laughter, prompting their substitute to shush them.

Kurt turned back around and sank in his seat as the boys behind him stifled their giggles. Either something was happening, or he was going completely crazy. He lay his head down on his desk for the rest of class, counting the seconds until the bell rang.

For the first time since transferring to Dalton, Kurt was glad he didn't have Warbler rehearsal after school. He hastily pushed through the hallways towards the front entrance, anxious to get out of there. He pulled out his cell when he made it to courtyard, and texted Blaine _Lima Bean?_ before sitting down on the cold stone steps leading up to the school.

He stared at his phone, waiting for a reply. He was desperate to spend some alone time with Blaine, to talk this over and hear from someone other than himself that he had nothing to worry about.

His phone vibrated. _Yeah, see you there._ Kurt grinned, stood up and ran to his car.

Kurt and Blaine were trying out new tables. Their usual one no longer felt cozy and secluded. Instead it just brought back memories of things neither of them should have said, so today they scooted themselves into a booth in the back corner. Kurt wrapped his hands around his coffee, breathing in its smell and taking in its warmth.

"Unicorns in denial?" Blaine asked as he tore open a packet of sugar.

"That's just a completely weird thing to say, right?" Kurt said, leaning forward. "I mean, why would he say that? I don't even _know_ that guy."

Blaine nodded and poured the sugar into his cup. "Hm. Nick said something to me about unicorns, too."

"Oh, did he?" Kurt asked, sipping his drink.

"Yeah," said Blaine. "Like, he said he thought I _was_ one."

"…excuse me?"

Blaine shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it's just this inside joke we don't get."

"Well, it isn't funny." Kurt shifted in his seat. "What was with that thing on his arm, anyway? Those colors do nothing for him."

"Oh, I think that's a pride flag." Blaine took out a stirrer and began to mix the sugar into his coffee.

"Uh, one? Pride flags are _rainbow_, and two? Nick is _straight_." Kurt took another sip. "I always hear him gushing over Mila Kunis."

"No, no, I remember him saying he was bi a while back…" Blaine sat up and his eyes widened. "Oh! _That's_ what he was talking about. He must have heard about my little crisis."

"Crisis _indeed_." Kurt muttered into his coffee. "Who else did you talk to about it, though?"

"Just you, really. I mean, I mentioned the date to Wes but we didn't really _talk_ about it."

Kurt froze, a realization dawning upon him. "Did you… tell anyone about what I said?"

"Huh?" Blaine tilted his head to the side. "What did you say?"

"I may or may not have said something about bisexuality may or may not being _real_ or not." Kurt hissed. Blaine shook his head. "Just _tell_ me if you said something, because all the semi-closeted guys at Dalton are out to get me."

"They're not _semi-closeted_," said Blaine. "And they're not _out to get you_.

"Then why is Nick knocking me over in the halls…"

"Nick knocked you over in the halls?"

"… and making eyes at you and whispering about me to Jeff?"

"He wasn't _making eyes_ at me!" Blaine said. "He was just trying to be _supportive_, unlike some _other_ people I know."

Kurt frowned. "So I guess you aren't completely _over_ your little crisis, are you?"

"_I'm_ the one whose over it, thank you very much." Blaine snapped. "Your attitude about it is what I can't seem to get past."

"Then I'll get past it _for_ you." Kurt grabbed his coffee and walked out, seething.

Two tables away, Lennon Canyon was having the time of his life.

* * *

END OF PART ONE.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

TUESDAY

"Dude, don't tell me what you pulled in the hallway was an accident."

"It was!" Nick settled down in his seat next to Andrew. The other boy had pulled him aside as they entered the classroom, bombarding him with questions about Kurt Hummel. "He probably just didn't see me. I mean, he _does_ refuse to acknowledge the existence of guys like me."

Andrew ran a hand through his spiky black hair and down his face, sighing. "Come _on_. You don't know if he really feels that way. Lennon's a freaking _liar_…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"No, not whatever! If he actually, like, said what Lennon _says_ he said, than it was probably out of ignorance. We should be _educating_ him, man, not pushing him down."

"No, Andrew, I'm _sick_ of it!" Nick snapped. "It shouldn't be my job to convince other people that my sexuality is legitimate just because it isn't black and white. You _know_ how that feels. He should be educating _himself_."

"I know," said Andrew, defeated. "He should. But we shouldn't be, like, antagonizing him."

Nick rolled his eyes. "You're only defending him because you think he's _hot_."

"I don't _think_ he's hot," Andrew muttered, grinning. "I _know_ he's hot. It's a fact."

"Shut up, shut up," said Nick, patting his friend on the arm. "There he is."

Kurt sat down a few seats away from them; soda can clutched in his hand as he downed the last drop. He didn't normally drink soda as he reviled the empty calories, but he barely got any sleep last night and something from the vending machine was the only access to caffeine he had. Kurt had spent the night punching out his frustrations into his pillow, and then snuggling up to it guiltily because it still smelled like Blaine's cologne from their sleepover. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and reached down to take out the books from his bag.

Classrooms tended to be pretty noisy before the actual class started, and this one was no exception. As Kurt rummaged through his bag, he wondered if any of the conversations were about him, and how narcissistic and paranoid he must be to even think that. Perhaps because he was now hypersensitive to it, the word _unicorn_ stood out from the din. Kurt looked around for its source.

"So like, the unicorn's all '_Your kind is forbidden from this realm._' and the narwhal's all like '_Our power is greater than you know._' and all these narwhals start coming out of the clouds…"

A Warbler he was vaguely familiar with explained something to Nick. Kurt frowned, confused, and then dismissed the conversation as something unrelated to his dilemma. Nick, however, noticed Kurt looking at them. He smiled, waived, and old, awful feeling returned to Kurt's stomach. He sat up and looked away.

Why didn't Blaine tell him there were other gay guys at Dalton? He shook his head and thought back to their first conversation after he was caught spying on the Warblers.

_"Are you guys all gay?_"

_"No. I mean, I am, but these two have girlfriends_."

Technically, himself, Wes and David were the only sexual orientations of Dalton students they had discussed. However, Kurt still thought that Nick should have come up during Blaine's brief trip back into Narnia. Kurt sighed and rested his chin on his hand, flipping idly through his textbook. Maybe if he just talked to Blaine about his own stint as a trucker-hat wearing, Mellencamp appreciating, girl kissing 'straight' guy. If Blaine knew that Kurt had been down a similar road, then maybe he would understand how he felt.

The bell rang and class started. Kurt managed to pay attention long enough to forget about Blaine and Nick and unicorns, but soon he would realize he had forgotten and everything would come flooding back. When it finally ended and he gathered his things to leave, Nick caught his eye and waved again. Kurt politely nodded in response, but the moment the other boy was out of his sight he gagged.

"Don't act like you don't hate me," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" his teacher asked as she erased equations from the board.

Kurt shook his head. "Nothing, Ms. West."

Kurt shuffled his way through the halls to his next class, unsure of whether to not look anybody in the eye. He groaned and rested against a wall next to a billboard advertising clubs and events. He shouldn't have to feel this way here. He should never have to feel scared or paranoid at Dalton. He really shouldn't _have_ to feel that way anywhere, but the world as a whole doesn't have a zero-tolerance policy.

A flyer on the billboard caught his eye.

DALTON ACADEMY SECULAR SOCIETY

Tues. Library at lunch hour.

Whoever made it did not seem to have any flair for design, as it was just black text on white paper, but it intrigued Kurt nonetheless. While he had his father, his friends and glee for all of his other issues, his lack of belief was something that kept Kurt feeling completely alone. Perhaps he could find some much needed support with this group? Besides, he didn't really want to sit with Blaine at lunch today anyway.

* * *

Blaine caught up with Andrew in the study hall during their free period. They weren't exactly friends, but they were both Warblers, so a sense of camaraderie should theoretically be between them. He sat down next to Andrew, eyeing the administrator on supervising duty while he took out his books.

"Hey, you're really good friends with Nick, right?" Blaine whispered, opening up his history textbook.

Andrew blinked at him, frowning. "Uh, I guess. Why?"

"Did he, um." Blaine sighed. "Did he really knock Kurt down in the hallway yesterday?"

"Aw, jeez. Yeah. He _says_ it was an accident but I dunno, man."

The supervisor slammed her ruler on their table. "_Quiet_!"

They both mumbled "Yes, ma'am," and turned back to their books as she walked away. Andrew turned a page in his notebook, scribbled something down and nudged it over to Blaine. Blaine cringed when he read it.

_Is it really true about what Kurt said?_

Blaine sighed, took out a pencil and wrote a response. _I don't even know how you guys heard about that. Kurt thinks I said something, but I didn't._

Andrew read over Blaine's words and nodded before pulling the notebook back towards him. _Nick says he heard it from Lennon._

Blaine rolled his eyes, and wrote _Figures_.

_What did Kurt actually say?_

Blaine leaned back in his seat, trying to remember Kurt's exact words. He didn't think Kurt could ever be say something so narrow-minded, and the implication that he only wanted to crawl back into the closet stung.

_It was like, bisexual is something gay guys say in order to be with girls and feel normal._

He tossed the notebook back to Andrew, who returned it with nothing but a drawing of an angry frown-y face. Blaine grimaced. _Yeah, I know. I want to talk to him about it but he's pretty mad at me right now_.

Andrew's eyebrows rose at Blaine's note. _So are you guys breaking up?_

Blaine stared at Andrew's response, baffled. He looked up to the boy next to him, gazing at him, looking overly innocent. Blaine swallowed.

_Um. We were never dating in the first place._

Andrew read the note and held his hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. _Whoops, sorry. I just thought after the Gap disaster…_

_No. We're just friends_.

Andrew tapped his pen on the table for a moment before taking the notebook back. _So when all this shit is cleared up, you won't mind if I move in on that?_

Blaine's jaw clenched. _Kurt's not really ready for that kind of thing_.

Andrew looked over the notebook and shrugged. _Oh, ok._.

"Mr. Anderson, Mr. Starkofsky," said their supervisor as she stared down her nose at them. "Please separate yourselves."

They nodded and Blaine picked up his books and moved to another table. He told Andrew not to make a move on Kurt without actually thinking about it, but he tried to reassure himself that he did the right thing. They were just completely wrong for each other. Kurt was just, he was just _Kurt_, and Andrew… Well, Blaine didn't actually know Andrew very well, but he once walked in on him making out with some guy in the library and that just wasn't right for Kurt at all. Blaine nodded to himself as he took out his history homework. So what if he was protective of Kurt? Kurt needed someone to protect him sometimes.

* * *

At lunch, Kurt avoided the table usually frequented by Warblers and made a beeline straight for the library. He usually saw groups of people meeting at a particular set of chairs by the reference books, so he decided he'd check there for the Secular Society first. He peered at it through the stacks, but the area seemed to only be occupied by a single individual reading a book.

He wandered around the library, checking for any organized gatherings, but the place was mostly empty, dotted only with a few students there to study. Soon Kurt circled back around to the reference books. He looked the boy sitting alone up and down, and decided he at least had a class with him, or that he might be a Warbler.

Kurt gingerly approached him, putting on his best smile. "Hi."

The boy looked up. "Yes?"

"You're, um, you're in the Warblers, right?"

"That is correct, Kurt," the boy said, blinking. "As is yourself."

Kurt laughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'm still kind of new, so I haven't learned everyone's names."

"It's Seth."

"_Hi_, Seth." Kurt said, graciously shaking the boy's hand. "I'm looking for the Secular Society. Do you know where they meet?"

Seth closed his book and straightened up in his chair. "Um, here."

"Here?" Kurt asked, glancing around.

"This is, um, this is it." Seth gestured to the empty chairs around him.

Kurt slowly lowered himself into one next to him. "Oh."

"Yes," said Seth, blowing the bangs out of his eyes. "It's not an _official_ club at Dalton, as you have to have at least five members and so far I am its sole participant."

"Ah, well. Two down, three to go!" Kurt said, smiling.

Seth looked around at the unoccupied space. "…right."

They sat for a minute in silence. Kurt took the time to take a better look at the boy. He was kind of short, and skinny, with wispy black hair that kept falling into his eyes. On his messenger bag were several pins referencing various extracurricular activities, such as debate, mathletes, yearbook and student government. Kurt squinted at a badge he didn't particularly understand: a white circle with the faded silhouette of a rearing unicorn.

Kurt gulped. Were these guys just _everywhere_? Since this kid already knew who he was, did he also know about his comment at the Lima Bean? Did he already hate him without ever talking to him too?

"So, um," Kurt said after clearing his throat. "The unicorn. Does that, um, does that mean you're bi?"

Seth stared at him, then glanced down at his bag. "…no."

A wave of relief washed over Kurt, and he felt himself relax. "Oh, right, ok. I've just, you know, I've heard unicorns in reference to…"

"…as have I…"

"…and I was just, um, I was just wondering."

Seth arched an eyebrow. "It's a satirical deity, in the same vein as the Flying Spaghetti Monster."

"Oh, ok." Kurt took a deep breath. "So, uh, this is cool. My old school had some religious groups, so an atheist one is a, um, nice change of pace."

"Well, it's technically just a _secular_ group, not a specifically atheist one. I selected that term in order to appeal to a larger demographic, but as you can see, my success has been…" Seth brushed his hair out of his face. "…Limited. It's, admittedly, somewhat disheartening."

Kurt nodded. "I know how that is. I was the only atheist _and_ openly gay kid at my old school."

"Oh," said Seth, tilting his head to the left. "Is that why you transferred?"

"Among other things," said Kurt, casually. "I actually thought me and Blaine were the only gay kids here, too, but I have, uh, recently discovered otherwise."

Seth squinted. "What gave you that impression?"

"Well, Blaine never told me about anyone else," Kurt explained.

"Why would you consider Blaine an authority on other people's sexual orientation?"

Kurt stiffened. "I don't. I mean, I don't know. I figured all the gay guys would be friends, or something."

"Why? There are other aspects to a person than who they're attracted to. Just because two people are gay doesn't mean they would make compatible friends."

"I _know_ that," Kurt snapped. "I just… I just didn't think they'd be so, I don't know, subtle."

Seth frowned. "Ok."

"Since you seem to know so much," Kurt sighed. "Would you care to enlighten me so I don't offend anyone else?"

"Enlighten you to what?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Tell me who all the gay kids are!"

"Oh," said Seth, shrugging. "I don't know. The only students I know openly identify as _gay_ are you, Blaine and, well, myself, I guess."

Kurt's eye's lit up. "You're gay?"

"I guess."

"You _guess_?" said Kurt, laughing. "You either are, or you aren't."

"I'm… attracted to men, yes."

"And are you attracted to women?"

Seth closed his eyes and shook his head. "Absolutely not."

Kurt leaned forward and patted Seth on the knee. "That means you're _gay_, sweetie."

Seth frowned at the term of endearment. "…Sure."

"So do you like anyone?" Kurt asked. "Do you have a boyfriend?" He was _so_ glad to have someone other that Blaine to talk about this stuff with. Blaine was wonderful, and he loved him, but Kurt just felt like he needed space from him right now.

"What?" Seth appeared to be slightly startled by the question. "Um, well I… I have people that I… engage with sexually, but I'm not dating anyone."

Kurt's eyes widened. "_Really_? Who?"

"I'm not really comfortable talking about this," said Seth. He picked up his messenger bag and tucked his book into it before standing up. "Thank you for joining me, Kurt. I'll see you at Warbler practice, ok?"

"Oh, ok," said Kurt, sinking a little into his seat as Seth walked off. "See you."

Way to blow it, he thought, crossing his arms and slouching. Nick hated him, Blaine was pissed at him, and he managed to make the second openly gay guy he ever met run away from him with his prying question. Way to go, Hummel, he thought. _Way to go_.

END OF PART TWO.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

There was a bit of leeway between the time the last class period of the day ended, and Warbler rehearsal began. Kurt usually spent this time with Blaine, but they were still kind of avoiding each other. He instead made his way to the senior commons, where practice was held, thinking he could to some vocal warm-ups before everyone else arrived.

Unfortunately, Nick was already there. He sat on one of the leather sofas with Seth and the Warbler Kurt saw him with earlier, hunched over a laptop on the coffee table. He and the other Warbler appeared to be watching something intently, with huge smiles on their faces, while Seth just stared, a hand clamped over his mouth in horror. Nick looked up as Kurt entered the room.

"Hi, Kurt," he said sweetly. "We're watching the new Lady GaGa video. Have you seen it?"

Kurt stiffened, knowing that Nick's friendly disposition was insincere. "Yes, actually I have."

The Warbler sitting between Nick and Seth clutched the sides of the computer. "This is _pure art_, oh my _god_."

"Jesus, Andrew," said Nick, laughing. "Calm down."

"No!" said Andrew. "This is just, it's just _everything_. I can't get over it."

Seth abruptly stood and made his way towards the door behind Kurt. "I'm going to _throw up_."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as Seth pushed past him. "What's his problem?"

"Seth thinks birth is gross," said Andrew. He pat the now unoccupied seat next to him with his hand. "C'mon, join us."

Kurt hesitated, thinking perhaps that this was some kind of trap set up by Nick, but he really did like the _Born This Way_ video, and wouldn't mind watching it with others who appreciated it. He cautiously sat down next to Andrew, who flashed him a grin.

"She is just so amazing and gorgeous and _amazing, _" Andrew gushed at the screen as Gaga danced along with her monsters.

Kurt eyed him, not quite sure what to think. He couldn't imagine any straight guys would be so interested in her, considering his experience with the boys of New Directions, but Andrew didn't really set off his gaydar. Then again, his gaydar was apparently completely dysfunctional.

Andrew sighed and rested his chin in his hand. "She's so unbelievably _hot_."

Kurt pursed his lips. So maybe he was some kind of sub-species of straight guy who loved Gaga on an artistic and sexual level.

"Sweet Madonna tribute at the end," Nick commented before standing. "I'm gonna go check on Seth."

"Yeah, ok," said Andrew as he closed his computer.

Kurt watched Nick leave and took out his phone to check the time. Five more minutes before practice would start, Blaine would arrive and Kurt would have to hide among people who, despite the fact that they were his teammates, he had never really taken the time to get to know.

"So, are you, like, excited for Regionals?"

Kurt looked up and coughed. Andrew blinked at him, smiling. "Oh, uh, yeah."

"We're up against your old school, right?" he asked. "Is that, like, weird for you?"

"A little," Kurt replied. "But somehow we all manage to remain friends."

Andrew nodded. "Right, right. You and Blaine even went to a party held by them, or something? That's cool."

"Rachel Berry's party, specifically. It was…" Kurt waved his hand a bit, searching for the right word. "Interesting."

"Ah, ok." Andrew reached into his blazer pocket. "Hey, do you want any candy? I got some Hershey's kisses right here." He pulled out a piece of chocolate and held it before him.

"Oh, um, alright," said Kurt, taking the candy.

Andrew smiled. "You know, this is actually how I usually come on to people, but I've kinda been warned against you."

"What?" said Kurt, startled and quickly reevaluating his impression of Andrew. "Warned _against_ me? By who?"

"Not telling," Andrew teased. "So just take it as a sort of… friendship offering, 'kay?"

Kurt peeled the foil from the chocolate. "Ok, if you say so."

Andrew smiled at him again, and Kurt started to think that it was the boy's default expression when Nick came back in with Seth in tow.

"It's a perfectly natural biological process!" Nick said as he entered the room.

"Defecation is a perfectly natural biological process, but that doesn't mean I want to watch a music video about it." Seth snapped.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you just compared giving birth to _shitting_."

"It just triggers _nausea_, in me, ok? It isn't something I have any control over," said Seth, sitting on the edge of the sofa next to Kurt. He noticed the candy in Kurt's hand. "Did you do the _'wanna kiss?'_thing again? Because that was really only mildly amusing in the first place, but now it's just annoying."

"No, I didn't. I was just being _friendly_," Andrew said. "Unlike _some_ people I know."

Kurt glanced up at Nick, who looked away from him. Kurt felt validated. Nick's friends apparently knew how Nick had been treating him, and did not appear to approve. He sat up a little in his seat, a small smile gracing his face. Soon, other Warblers began to trickle into the room, talking excitedly about their upcoming Regional competition. Wes banged his gavel, and the boys settled down.

Blaine sat down in an armchair across the room. Their eyes met for a moment before looking away. Suddenly Kurt felt a little claustrophobic, squeezed on the sofa between Andrew and Seth. Wes banged his gavel again.

"If you keep doing that, you're gonna, like, break it," said Andrew.

"Quiet, Starkofsky," said Wes, "There are important matters we must discuss."

Kurt felt himself unconsciously scoot away from Andrew at the sound of his surname, and mentally scolded himself for it. He had a similar-sounding name to Karofsky, so what? People were not their names.

Wes cleared his throat. "It has recently come to the counsel's attention that information regarding Regionals has been released, but unfortunately, _our_ letter was misplaced, and we are now a week behind our competition. The set list we have prepared is no longer acceptable."

Kurt blinked, shocked. The room erupted into protests, and Wes slammed his gavel against its sound block several times to diffuse the noise.

"From what we now understand, the competition will have a theme, and our score will be affected by how we interpret said theme."

"And that theme is?" asked Blaine.

Wes took a deep breath. "_Anthem_."

The Warblers burst into demurral. "What does that even _mean_?" someone asked.

Seth coughed. "Anthem. A rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause."

"Seth, we _know_ what the damn _word_ means," Nick snapped. "I just don't understand how that's a _theme_."

"So, what do we do?" Andrew asked. "Do we just sing _The Star-Spangled Banner_?"

"All we know is that it is up for interpretation." Wes sighed. "We will not practice until we have an acceptable interpretation of _anthem_. The counsel requests twenty suggestions by rehearsal on Thursday. Warblers dismissed."

The boys grumbled, but gathered their things and slowly filtered out of the room. Kurt clutched at his bag's strap, worried. He tried to make it a point when talking to his friends back in Lima to not mention anything about the competition other than 'we're going to kick your ass,' but he couldn't help but feel his connection to them would have somehow clued him in on this theme. He pulled out his cell again and checked the time.

Kurt really didn't look forward to the two hour long drive back home. He usually had a whole routine with Blaine at the Lima Bean before he actually set out onto the highway, but they hadn't spoken to each other all day, and Kurt feared another argument. He sighed and pushed himself up off the sofa. Maybe if he got all his homework done at the Lima Bean he could just head straight to bed the minute he got home.

Ask he exited the senior commons, Kurt saw Andrew and Seth out of the corner of his eye. They were huddled in a corner, talking, when Andrew leaned forward and kissed him just below the ear. Seth shrugged him off, but smiled. Kurt gulped and picked up his pace into the hallway. Were things like that happening all around him and he was just too oblivious to notice?

* * *

The Lima Bean was crowded as usual, filled with students hanging out and studying, along with adults grabbing a quick cup of coffee before heading home. Kurt felt a little awkward to be there alone, as he traditionally spent his time there with Blaine. He managed to snag an empty booth by the restrooms and spread his books across the table. He found Dalton significantly more academically challenging than McKinley, and sometimes Kurt struggled with keeping up. His vision blurred as he stared at a worksheet filled with complicated equations, and Kurt let his head clonk down onto the table.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He just wanted to get all this done so he could go home and sleep. He sipped his large, iced mocha, hoping the caffeine would kick in soon. Across the room, he saw Seth, his arms piled with books, frantically looking around him. Kurt glanced around the room, and realized that none of the other tables were open. He eyed the empty seat across from him before standing up and waving.

"Seth!" he called out. "There's a spot over here!"

The boy froze and stared at him for a moment before swallowing and looking around. Kurt realized that after their encounter in the library, Seth might not want to have anything to do with him.

"I, uh, I won't ask about your sex life, I promise," he said, despite the fact that after what he saw in the commons, he sorely wanted too.

Seth sighed and adjusted the grip on his books. He walked over and slid into the seat across from him, dropping his books onto the table. They sat in silence for a moment, and Kurt wondered if this was how all their conversations would be like.

Kurt cleared his throat. "So, um, do you have any ideas for the anthem?"

Seth looked away for a moment, thinking, and then shook his head.

"Oh, ok." Kurt tapped his fingers on the table. "Do you, uh, have a lot of homework? I know I do."

Seth glanced down at his pile of books, then back up at Kurt.

"Right. Of course." Kurt adjusted himself in his seat. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I, um, I have a tendency to come on a little strong, I know. I'm working on it." Kurt actually rarely gave this tendency a second thought, but it sounded good. "I just, um, I just want us to be friends."

"Your calculus teacher is Ms. West, correct?" Seth asked.

Kurt frowned, confused, but nodded.

"She selects all of her worksheet equations straight from the textbook. You can check the back for answers if you're having trouble."

Kurt blinked at him for a moment before pulling his book towards him and flipping it open to the back pages. Sure enough, there were lists of equations and answers corresponding to each chapter. Kurt looked up at Seth, who gazed back at him expectantly. Kurt then realized that much Andrew's Hershey's Kiss, this was an offering of friendship.

He smiled. "Thanks."

Seth nodded and opened one of his own books. "You're welcome."

They worked in silence, but it was no longer uncomfortable. Oddly enough, Kurt found it easier to concentrate when he had someone to work with. Companionship was something Kurt craved more than anything. Before he knew it, his iced mocha was gone and he was three quarters of the way through his work.

Kurt grabbed his empty cup and slid out of his seat. "I'm getting a refill. Do you want anything?"

Seth shook his head. "No, thank you. My tea is quite sufficient."

Kurt nodded and headed toward the counter to get in line. He patiently waited in the queue when a certain someone in hideous aviator sunglasses crept up behind him.

"A study date, huh? That's cute. I didn't really think Vention was your style, though."

Kurt looked around to see Lennon smiling in that awful, knowing way he always did. "Excuse me?" Kurt asked. "What exactly is _that_ suppose to mean?'

Lennon shrugged. "I was under the impression you liked _boys_."

"I _do_, I mean." Kurt huffed. "First of all, Seth and I aren't on a _date_, we're just doing our homework, and second? Seth _is_ a boy."

"Oh, _sure_," said Lennon. "Most of the time, at least."

"That's a pretty nasty rumor to spread about someone," Kurt sneered.

"It ain't a rumor if it's true. And honey? Everything I report on is _completely_ true, from the asbestos in the gymnasium to your rampant biphobia."

"Biphobia?" Kurt gaped at him, and then his jaw clenched. "_You_. You were here that day, weren't you? You eavesdropped on me and Blaine and now you're just _telling_ everyone what I said? What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?" Lennon asked, pushing his glasses down his nose in order to look over him. "_You're_ the one who said being outside the gender binary was _nasty_."

Kurt squinted. "What?"

"_What_?"

Kurt looked around to see Seth, clutching an empty teacup and trembling slightly.

"I, um," he said, looking down at his cup. "When you asked, I didn't realize I was empty so I, um." Seth took a deep breath and frowned. "I think it's best if I go."

Lennon grinned and began to back away. "My work here is _done_".

Seth turned back to their table and Kurt chased after him. Seth piled his books into his arms as Kurt tried to explain.

"That's not what I said, Seth, I _swear_," Kurt insisted, hovering over him. "I said that what _he_ said was nasty."

Seth sighed and held his books close to his chest. "And what exactly did he say?"

"Well, he, uh," Kurt swallowed. "He said that you, um, were only a boy, like, most of the time."

"And you said that was nasty," Seth said flatly.

"Wait, no, I mean…" Kurt sank back into his seat. "_Please_ sit back down? I don't even really understand what he was talking about, and, and…"

"And it's my responsibility to explain it to you?" Seth asked, looking down at him.

Kurt heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I just, I keep _saying_ things and everyone keeps getting _mad_ at me and…"

"Then maybe you should stop _talking_ and start /ilistening/i."

Kurt nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm listening now, ok? Please, _please_ just talk to me."

Seth eyed him for a moment before finally sitting back down. "…ok."  
"_Thank you_," Kurt breathed.

Seth put his books back down and stared at him, his mouth set halfway to a frown. "I… I'm not, um, biologically intersex, if that's what you're wondering."

"Um, ok," said Kurt, folding his hands onto the table.

"Would you hate me if I were?"

"No!" said Kurt, blinking. "Of course not."

"Are you only saying that because I already said I wasn't?"

Kurt flinched. "Um, no."

Seth closed his eyes and exhaled. "Ok, then. I just, well, it's not really easy to articulate."

Kurt nodded, trying to look as understanding as possible.

"I, um, I don't feel, uh, one hundred percent male, one hundred percent of the time."

Seth opened his eyes to gage Kurt's reaction. Kurt attempted to maintain a neutral expression, but was pretty sure he was failing.

"I… see."

"Yeah."

"So, um, what does that mean exactly?"

Seth shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. I haven't discussed the matter with anyone besides Andrew, and Lennon obviously overheard, so now half the school thinks I'm a hermaphrodite."

"Oh."

"Like, like, look at the signs on the doors," Seth gestured to the restrooms beside them. "Male and female are the _only options_, and the difference between them is completely arbitrary! They're exactly the same except that one of them is wearing a _dress_."

Kurt looked the doors over. "Do you _want_ to wear a dress?"

"I have no idea," Seth admitted. "I mean, should I try one on just to see how it feels? And if I feel good in it, would that automatically make me female? The _door_ apparently thinks so."

"You know," said Kurt, squinting. "I don't think the door is really an expert on this kind of thing, considering it's an inanimate object."

Seth laughed, and then sighed. "It's also why I'm not really comfortable with calling myself _gay_. I'm attracted to men, but if I'm not really a man myself, then how can I be homosexual?"

Kurt tilted his head in thought. "I… don't really know. What did, um, what did Andrew say when you told him?"

"Well, he wasn't repulsed, thankfully." Seth said. "He actually appears to be _intrigued_ by the whole thing."

"That's nice," Kurt said, nodding. "I know I promised I wouldn't ask, but are you guys… actually, you know what? I'm not asking. I _promised_."

Seth smiled. "Thank you. And to answer you rescinded question; yes, we are."

"Oh, ok," said Kurt with a chuckle.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"I, uh, I'm glad that we are friends now," Seth said, looking down at his hands.

Kurt grinned. "Me too."

END OF PART THREE

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

WEDNESDAY

Sometimes Kurt could catch the sunrise while on the road. Usually, highway hypnosis would set in and it would be dark one moment and bright the next. Sometimes, however, if he was paying attention, he could turn his music off and gaze out the window, one eye on the road and the other on the sky as it changed from black to purple, to pink and orange and blue. It was really the only thing he liked about his morning drives to Dalton.

He liked the school, mostly. It had Blaine and a popular glee club and zero-tolerance policy, but when he woke up every morning, he would squint at his alarm clock through the covers, the unsympathetic red numbers staring back at him, and Kurt just didn't want to move. He didn't even feel like reaching his hand the foot or so required to hit snooze. He felt paralyzed.

The staring contest he held with the clock rarely lasted more that a couple minutes before Kurt would slide out from beneath his down feather comforter and into the bathroom to shower and moisturize. That routine generally would wake him up a bit more, giving him the energy to go through his closet and put together his uniform ensemble.

There weren't a whole lot of options to choose from when it came to his uniforms. The selection was limited to cardigan, sweater vest or blazer, generally with a scarf thrown in to make things interesting. Kurt _missed_ fashion. Sure, all of his wonderful clothes were still there, and he could wear them after school and on weekends, but he knew his babies felt neglected.

Sometimes Carole would be up to make him breakfast. He loved it when she did. Her warm smile accompanied with the smell of omelets was more comforting than he could ever admit. He never said anything negative to his parents about Dalton. He didn't want them to feel any shred of regret about sending him there. It was the right decision, no matter how long the drive was.

As Kurt watched the sun come up, he took it as a reminder that the new day meant new opportunities. Blaine was still mad at him, but he could fix that. Lennon was still talking shit about him, but no one seemed to like Lennon either, so that was ok. Nick might still hate him, but he had made a new friend in Seth. Yesterday and the day before and been filled with ups and downs (mostly downs), but if Kurt could help it, today would be an up.

If he arrived at Dalton early enough, he could catch Blaine coming in. He wanted to set everything between them straight as soon as possible, so that the rest of the day would not be spent on edge. Kurt pulled into the parking lot and stepped out of the car, tightening his scarf against the crisp morning air and scanning the area for Blaine. From where he stood, all the Dalton boys gathering out on the front lawn before the doors opened looked exactly the same. They were just disembodied heads floating in a sea of navy blue and red. Kurt gulped and made his way towards them.

The groups they gathered in were not too different than the cliques in the lunchroom. Some boys from the soccer team kicked around a ball while the Model UN debated over global issues, the photography club traded lenses and Warblers discussed their anthem ideas. Kurt purposely avoided Lennon and the rest of the kids who ran the Dalton Gazette and ambled right over to his fellow Warblers.

"_Smells Like Teen Spirit_ was the anthem of a generation!" Connor insisted.

"Teen Spirit is a brand of _deodorant,_ Connor," said Thad.

Connor growled in frustration. "Cobain didn't know that at the _time_!"

"I still think we should do _Born This Way_, said Andrew, shrugging.

"No freaking way," said Mark. "I'm not singing that Madonna rip-off."

"It's not a rip-off!" Andrew said earnestly. "It's a love letter to an idol."

"It's a poorly thought-out, lazy-ass song, and I'm _not_ singing it."

Andrew sighed and let his shoulders slump, but brightened up when he saw Kurt. He pushed passed the other boys and jogged up to him.

"Hey, man," he said. "Usually don't see you this early."

"I know," said Kurt, nodding. "I may or may not have been speeding all the way here."

"Ooh, living _dangerously_!" Andrew threw his head back and laughed.

Kurt chuckled. "Yeah, sure. Have you seen Blaine? Is he here yet?"

"No, actually, I haven't." Andrew said. "You guys still fighting?"

"You, uh, you know about that?" Kurt asked gingerly.

"Like, _everyone_ knows about that," said Andrew. "Hey, you want to know something funny?"

"Sure, what?"

"I _totally_ thought you guys were dating."

Kurt's mouth fell open. "What? _Why_?"

Andrew shrugged. "He just kinda _hogged_ you, you know? From what I could see, you never hung out with anyone outside of school besides him. I thought maybe you wanted all your time your _boyee-friennnnd_." He elongated the word, teasingly, grinning.

"He's not my _boyee-friennnnd_," Kurt smacked him lightly on the arm. "And I _do_ hang out with other people. Just yesterday I hung out with Seth."

"Speaking of Seth," said Andrew, tucking his hands into his pockets, "and by Seth I mean the bookstore where he works, and by the bookstore where he works I mean the Bakery across the street. They're having, like, a special on red velvet cupcakes today. Would you care to join me in consuming as many as possible?"

Kurt blinked at him, not really sure how to respond. Was this offering just another way of 'not' coming onto him? "Well, I, uh…" There was a loud click and the ornate front doors opened, prompting the boys to move. He saw a glimpse of Blaine through the crowd. "Can I get back to you on that?"

Andrew smiled again. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

"See you later, ok?" Kurt said as he backed away.

"Definitely." Andrew's smile widened and Kurt felt himself smiling back.

Kurt managed to catch up with Blaine in the hall on the way to first period. He ran up behind him, squeezing through the crowded corridor, holding his hand out like he wanted to physically reach him. His hand clamped onto Blaine's shoulder and Kurt called out his name. Blaine turned around.

"Kurt?"

"Blaine. Can we, um, can we talk?" he asked, catching his breath.

Blaine looked at him, and then back to his classroom door. "Right now?"

"I know we don't have a lot of time, I just..." Kurt bit his lip. "We can't keep avoiding each other."

Blaine's face softened, and he sighed. "I know. Can we talk at lunch, maybe?"

Kurt nodded and let his arm fall. "Yeah, yeah, that sounds good. We'll talk then."

"Ok. I gotta get to class."

"Me too," said Kurt. He gave Blaine a quick wave goodbye before running off to his own class.

Kurt felt substantially less paranoid today. People talking in his classes no longer appeared to be whispering about him, just having everyday conversations. Seth even turned out to be in a few of his classes, and Kurt wondered how he had missed him. Today, Dalton felt safe again.

* * *

"Did you_ seriously_ ask Kurt out this morning?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, I just asked him to have cupcakes with me. If I end up licking frosting off his face, then so be it."

"You know you're a traitor, right?" Nick sneered.

"Oh, _calm down_," said Andrew. They sat in the back of their classroom as usual, talking while the other students filtered in before class started. "Just because I don't want to, like, participate in Operation Everyone Hates Kurt doesn't mean I'm a traitor. What would I be _betraying_, anyway?"

Nick threw up his hands. "Your people! Your _community_!"

"Like the non-straight kids even _have_ a community at this school," said Andrew.

"Maybe you're right," said Nick with a sigh. "I can't ever know for sure if what Lennon said was true, anyway."

Andrew looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I kinda got, like, conformation on that from Blaine."

"Then what the hell are you still going after him for?" Nick demanded.

"Just _because_," Andrew whined as Kurt entered the room. "I mean, _look_ at him! It's just, just his _face_ and his hair and his legs and his voice and his _teeth_."

"_Teeth_? Are you _crazy_?" said Nick. "There all tiny and crooked."

"They're _adorable._" Andrew sat up in his seat and waved. "Hey! Kurt!"

Kurt turned around. "Yeah? Oh, hey, Andrew."

"You made your decision yet?" he asked.

Kurt bit his lip and shrugged. "Um, I haven't had a chance to think about it."

"Aw, c'mon," said Andrew, flashing him his best smile. "Don't leave me to enjoy all those delicious cupcakes by myself!"

"I'll have _one_, ok?" said Kurt. "I have to watch my figure."

"If we put your figure up on pay per view, _everyone_ would watch it," said Andrew. Kurt and Nick both stared at him, confused. "Uh, never mind, I'm not funny. I'll meet you at the lawn after school, ok?"

Kurt nodded. "Ok."

As Kurt turned back around, Nick grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. "What are you _doing_?" he whispered. "Don't you have a thing going on with Seth?"

Andrew pushed him away. "We're not exclusive. Don't look at me like that, man!"

"I can't freaking _believe_ you right now," said Nick. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

Blaine received a troubling text from Nick on his way to study hall.

* * *

_Did you see Andrew ask out Kurt this morning?_

Blaine frowned and punched out his response. _WTF I told him not to_.

He tucked his phone back into his pocket and scanned the hall for Andrew until he saw him coming out of the restroom. Blaine wasn't thinking. It was as if his mind and body were on autopilot as he marched up to the other boy and pulled him out of the hall and back into the restroom.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" said Andrew as he regained his balance.

"What am I doing?" Blaine asked, pointing to his chest. "What are _you_ doing? You can't just ask Kurt out like that! He isn't _ready_."

"Ready for _what_, Blaine?" said Andrew. "Cupcakes? Because that's all it goddamn _is_. I'm not whisking him away to Canada to elope, ok? We're getting _cupcakes_. Why is everyone ganging up on me for this?"

Blaine stiffened. "I just want to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Do you?" said Andrew, incredulous. "Because it looks like you want something else."

"The hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" Blaine snapped.

"Who exactly do you think is gonna hurt him?" said Andrew, his voice rising. "A guy who is _completely honest_ with his feelings and _acts on them,_ or a guy who just leads him on?"

"I, I'm not," Blaine stammered. "I'm not leading him…"

"_Mr. Anderson, Mr. Starkofsky_," said a voice from the door. They turned to see a school administrator scowling down at them. "Please follow me to the dean's office _immediately_."

"But, we weren't doing anything!" said Andrew.

"Not only are you not in class where you're _supposed_ to be, you are _screaming_ at each other and causing a disturbance."

Andrew and Blaine exchanged a glance, both wondering how loud they had been.

The administrator stepped back and pointed out to the hall. "_March_."

The boys quietly obeyed.

* * *

Kurt made his way into the cafeteria, his stomach too filled with nerves to really want to eat. He just wanted to talk everything over with Blaine. Make it all better. Be friends again. Blaine, however, was nowhere to be seen. Kurt walked up and down the food line before going over to the Warbler table and sitting across from Seth. Kurt heaved an overdramatic sigh and rested his chin in his hands. And the day had been going so _well_.

"Is there something the matter?" Seth asked, dipping his celery stick into a jar of peanut butter.

"I was supposed to meet up with Blaine," said Kurt. "But I can't find him."

"He's in in-school detention with Andrew," said Seth as he brought the stick up to his mouth.

"What? Why?"

Seth shrugged. "Apparently they were caught skipping."

"But Blaine doesn't skip class," said Kurt, leaning forward in his seat. "I mean, he skipped once to help me out at McKinley, but I've never seen him do it again."

He closed his eyes. Blaine wouldn't have gotten in trouble on purpose just to avoid him, would he? Kurt shook his head and dismissed the thought.

"What I don't understand," said Seth after he swallowed. "Is why they were caught _together_."

"What, are they not friends or something?" Kurt asked.

"Not particularly," Seth shook his head. "Andrew's even told me he hated him a few times."

Kurt squinted. "Why would he _hate_ him?"

"Solos. Blaine generally receives a lot of them and Andrew is rather envious."

The nerves in Kurt's stomach now formed into an awkward lump. The Warblers had always appeared to be one unified team. He didn't think they would squabble over solos like New Directions.

"What did you want to talk to Blaine about?" Seth asked.

"Just, just some _stuff_," Kurt said.

"Was it about Andrew?"

"No?" said Kurt, tilting his head. "Why would we talk about Andrew?"

"Because he's taking you to _Mon Delice_." Seth said, matter-of-factly. "It's a very nice place, actually, although people tend to come into the bookstore where I work after going there and get powdered sugar on everything."

"Wait, this is a _nice_ place?" Kurt asked. "I thought it was just a bakery."

"It's a just nice bakery," said Seth. He reached over and patted Kurt's hand. "Andrew isn't taking you anywhere inappropriate for a first date, I assure you."

Kurt coughed and blushed. "It's not a date."

Seth looked at him. "Hm."

"It's _not_!"

"It's ok if it is," said Seth, scooping up another dollop of peanut butter with his celery. "I promise I won't get jealous."

The awkward lump grew and Kurt crossed his arms over his front to calm it down. He had forgotten that Andrew and Seth were _involved_. Was that what Andrew wanted from him? Just someone to fool around with? What if he wanted to actually date, but at the same time see other people? Would Kurt really be ok with _sharing_ a boyfriend?

"How do you, um," Kurt gulped. "How do you guys _work_, exactly?"

Seth chewed his celery for a moment, thinking, and swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, are you guys just friends with benefits or something?"

Seth shrugged. "I suppose that would be an adequate description."

"And would you, like, stop, um, whatever you're doing if one of you, like, found someone else?"

"If Andrew wanted an exclusive relationship with someone else, I would, uh, _back off_, as they say."

Kurt took this in for a moment. "Has that ever happened?"

"What?"

"Andrew wanting an exclusive relationship and you backing off."

"Oh," said Seth, blinking. "Not that I recall, no. Does that bother you?"

"No," said Kurt. "Yes. I don't know. How many guys do you two go around with?"

For a brief second, Kurt swore he could see Seth counting on his fingers before putting down his celery and reaching for his water bottle.

"It's, um, it's not important."

Kurt nodded. "Sure."

Kurt mentally categorized Seth as kind of a slut, and hoped Andrew wasn't the same. He got up to get something from the food line, knowing that if he didn't eat then he would be starving the rest of the day, and wished Blaine could be there with him.

* * *

_I'm sorry I couldn't make it to lunch,_ read the text Blaine sent Kurt as school ended. Kurt fiddled with his phone for a moment before responding.

_It's ok._ He wrote. _Just don't get detention next time_.

Kurt pushed through the doors and down the cold stone steps to the lawn, where he promised Andrew he would meet him. He didn't quite feel _nervous_. It was more like how he felt before a performance. Anxious, but filled with anticipation and adrenaline.

His phone vibrated. _Lima Bean?_

He frowned, feeling strangely guilty. _Can't. Already have plans_.

It wasn't a date. It wasn't a date. It wasn't a date. Kurt repeated the phrase in his mind over and over again, but it refused to really sink in.

_Ok,_ Blaine responded. _Have fun._

Kurt sighed and turned off his phone. Andrew waved from the grass and jogged up to him.

"Hey," he said. "How's it going?"

"Oh, I'm fine," said Kurt, casually. "What about you? I heard you had detention."

Andrew groaned. "Yes, yes I did. Someone made me late for class and they thought we were skipping. It sucked."

"I can imagine," Kurt said, nodding. He noticed that Andrew did not specifically mention Blaine, and wondered why.

"So, are you ready?" Andrew asked, leading him into the parking lot.

"Uh, yeah, sure," said Kurt, following. "Wait, are we just taking your car?"

"Is that a problem?" Andrew stopped by an old black Lincoln and leaned against the hood. "Esther won't bite."

Kurt raised his eyebrows at the fact that Andrew named his car. "I just have to leave for home right after, and it's a two hour drive."

"Two _hours_?" said Andrew. "Oh, ok. Do you know where the bakery is? It's right by where Seth works."

Kurt shook his head. "I don't know where Seth works."

"Let me give you the address, then." Andrew reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen.

"Do you have paper, or…" Kurt said but Andrew reached out and took his hand.

Andrew's fingers were long and callused, but warm, and Kurt felt a fluttering in his chest as the other boy carefully wrote out the address on the back of his hand. When he let go, Kurt let his arm hang in the air for a moment, still tingling.

"Is that ok?" Andrew asked.

"Um, yes," said Kurt, tucking his hand into his blazer pocket. "I'll just, um, plug that into my GPS."

Andrew smiled. His smiles were absolutely hypnotizing. "Cool. I'll see you there, ok?"

"Yeah, ok, cool."

Andrew climbed into his car and Kurt walked away to find his. Regardless of what he told himself, his _hand_ was completely convinced it was a date.

END OF PART FOUR.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

"Sweet Sondheim, there's so many of them!"

Kurt leaned against the case, his nose pressing up against the glass. He had never seen such a plethora of cupcakes in his entire life. Behind the case underneath the counter were tiers upon tiers of perfects little cakes of white, yellow, brown and red, all topped with different colored frosting.

"Uh, please don't lean on the glass," said the cashier as she handed cupcakes to a customer. "It'll break and you'll fall in and then, you know, no cupcakes for anyone."

"Sorry." Kurt straightened up and walked to his place in line next to Andrew.

"And they are _so good_," said Andrew, wringing his hands. "I'm, like, totally excited just for _you_ to have one, so I can watch your reaction."

Kurt had to keep himself from clapping every time they moved up in line. "If I don't get one of those things in my mouth _right now_ I'm gonna _die_."

"Oh, my god, I _know_," Andrew said, clinging to Kurt's arm.

They finally reached the cashier, who seemed to find their excitement amusing. "What can I get for you?"

"We'll have two red velvet," said Andrew.

"Oh, and a chocolate," said Kurt.

Andrew laughed. "And a buttercream."

"And another buttercream."

"And another chocolate."

"Ok," said the cashier. "Two red velvet, two chocolate, and two buttercream."

Andrew looked at him. "Is that it?"

Kurt bit his lip and bounced on his heels. "Hmmm, I don't know…"

"Are you guys eating in? Because you can always get more."

"Ok," said Andrew, "we probably will."

Kurt felt a little guilty when Andrew paid, but it only reassured him that this was, in fact, a date. They took their order to a little table outside, where they sat underneath a wide umbrella. Kurt picked up his buttercream cupcake and inhaled deeply, taking in its sweet sent. He pulled it away, only to leave a bit of frosting on his nose.

"Let me go get some napkins," he said, putting the cupcake back down on the plate.

He re-entered the bakery, dodging other customers as they maneuvered through the crowded seating areas. He reached a counter filled with napkins and utensils, and picked out a few to bring back to the table. A hand reached out from behind him to grab a napkin, and Kurt turned around to see a couple of other Dalton boys with cupcakes in their hands. They looked a bit familiar, and Kurt figured he maybe had a class with them, so he smiled and waved.

The boy reaching for the napkin looked Kurt up and down with a sneer, and turned to his friend. "I think we'll be fine without napkins."

His friend glanced at Kurt, frowned and nodded. The boy and his friend disappeared into the crowd, and Kurt's otherwise not too terrible day was officially _awful_. They might as well have slushied him for all he cared, as his face felt cold from sweat anyway.

And he thought things were getting _better_. He glanced around the bakery and saw several more Dalton blazers and jackets. He couldn't hear what anyone not directly next to him was saying, but his mind filled in the blanks. Hello, paranoia, nice to see you again.

He looked out the window to see Andrew watching him expectantly from his chair. Did he see? Kurt wondered. Would it even have looked like anything unseemly from outside? Would Andrew even _care_? What would he even say to explain what happened?

_A guy was gonna get napkins, but then he didn't. Because I was there._

It was completely and utterly absurd and yet it happened. Kurt clutched his selection of paper and utensils close to his chest and closed his eyes. All he had to do was just go outside and pretend nothing happened. Nothing _did_ happen, really. No one threw a beverage in his face. No one slammed him into a locker. No one threatened to kill him.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, ready to return to Andrew. As he opened the door to the patio, he put on his best smile and pushed all the bile bubbling up in his stomach back down. Andrew looked at him curiously.

"You ok?" he asked.

Kurt sat down and held out a fork. "Never better."

"If you say so." Andrew took the fork, his hand lingering on Kurt's for a moment, making it tingle again.

Kurt watched him unwrap his chocolate cupcake and dig into it with his fork. "Is this a date?"

Andrew stopped, his mouth hanging open with his fork halfway in. "What?"

Kurt didn't know why he said it. The question had been building up in his mind since the moment Andrew proposed they come here, but he never actually thought he would outright _ask_. "I just, uh, I don't know what this is. I don't even know if you're gay or not."

Andrew put his fork down. "Do you _want_ it to be a date?"

"I, um, I don't know," said Kurt. "Kinda."

Andrew grinned. "I kinda want it to be a date, too."

"Ok," Kurt said, looking down and smiling.

"You still have frosting on your nose."

Kurt laughed and wiped it off with a napkin. "Thanks. So, uh, you are, then?"

"I are what?" Andrew asked through a mouthful.

"Gay."

Andrew swallowed. "Oh. That."

"Yeah."

"Uh, why don't you tell me?" he asked. "I hear you're really good at telling other people how to identify."

Kurt froze for a moment and stared at him. He slammed his napkin onto the table and stood, starting to walk away, furious. Andrew grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm _sorry_!" he said, holding Kurt back. "I was just teasing. Please, don't go. I'm _sorry_"

Kurt exhaled loudly through his nose, not looking at Andrew as he thought. Seth gave him a chance yesterday. It was only fair for him to give Andrew a chance now. He wrestled his wrist from Andrew's grip and sat back down.

"I, uh, I don't actually know, ok?" said Andrew, weakly poking a cupcake with his fork.

"You don't _know_?" Kurt asked. "You fool around with Seth, you take me out for cupcakes, you _love Lady Gaga_ and you don't _know_?"

Andrew sighed. "I like Seth, I like you, but does that make be _gay_?"

"_Yes,_," said Kurt, rolling his eyes.

"But I also like some girls," said Andrew. "Nick's always telling me that makes me bi."

Kurt cringed at that thought. He grabbed his red velvet cupcake and bit into it, hoping the cream cheese frosting would distract him from that awful, awful statement. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _fair_ that all the boys he liked, loved, and were maybe kinda-sorta interested in him would be so caught up with _girls_.

"Do you like it?" Andrew asked.

Kurt blinked at him, confused for a moment before he realized he was talking about the cupcake. Kurt chewed, allowing himself to savor it. He nodded, and swallowed. "I do."

Andrew smiled. "Good."

"So do you think Nick's right?"

"I don't know," said Andrew. "I've liked boys, and I've liked girls, but it was never really about them _being_ a boy or a girl. It was more like, just, _them_. Does that make sense?"

Kurt blinked. "Not really, no."

"That's what Nick says," said Andrew with a sigh. "But like, not everyone is, you know, a boy or a girl."

"Oh, right," said Kurt. He stiffened at being compared to Nick, but brushed it off. "Is, is that why you like him? Seth, I mean?"

Andrew glanced over to the bookstore across the street. "I like him because he's _him_. He's my best friend, he means the world to me."

Despite the fact that he was on a date with a boy currently gushing about _another_ boy(?), Kurt found himself smiling. Andrew's feelings about Seth reminded him of his own feelings about Blaine. He was _so important_ to Kurt, even if Blaine couldn't see that sometimes.

"How did you guys meet?" he asked.

"Alternative Learning Summer School before ninth grade," said Andrew, laughing. "My parents made me go to get my reading level up before going to Dalton, and Seth was there to help him transition from homeschooling."

Kurt tilted his head. "Seth was homeschooled?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah. Apparently his sister didn't, like, trust the _system_, or whatever."

"So she trusts it now?" Kurt asked, taking another bite of his cupcake.

"Uh, no," said Andrew. "She's dead."

"_Oh_."

"Yeah. Eric said he couldn't handle all of Seth's private tutors, so he decided to send Seth to real school."

"And Eric is…?" Kurt said, squinting.

"Seth's brother in law," Andrew explained. "He's pretty cool. He and Seth kinda just ignore each other, though."

"Hm." Kurt licked off the frosting of his cupcake, thinking. "What happened to his parents?"

"Oh, uh, his mom died when he was a baby and his dad…" Andrew looked up, trying to remember. "His dad lives in North Carolina, I think? Seth doesn't know him. I remember he called once, but Seth was all like 'Uh, I don't know you, man. Go away.'"

"That's kind of sad." Kurt said. He _loved_ his father, and didn't know how he could survive without him. The idea of Burt living in another state and not even knowing him was unbearable. "Maybe if he knew his dad he wouldn't be all, you know."

Andrew blinked. "You think so?"

"I don't know," said Kurt, shrugging. "Maybe."

Andrew dug is fork into another cupcake. "Anyway, yeah. Summer school, and then we were roommates."

"Roommates?"

"Yeah," said Andrew, bringing his fork up to his mouth and taking a bite. "You know that big building behind the sports field?"

"The one with all the construction going on?" Kurt always wanted to ask Blaine about the building, but he never got around to it.

"Uh huh. It's a dorm. When we were freshman, there was this big fire."

"Oh, my god, _really_?" said Kurt. "Did anybody get hurt?"

"No, but _nobody knows how it started_." Andrew wiggled his fingers for greater effect. "A lot of kids stopped going to Dalton, though, because they lived too far away."

"And you guys didn't?"

"No, we live in town."

Kurt licked frosting off his fingers. "Why did you board if you live so close?"

"Well, my dad boarded at Dalton, and so did my grandpa," said Andrew. "It's kind of a tradition. And Seth, well, Seth just wanted to."

"Are they ever gonna open the dorms back up?"

"_Supposedly_ they'll open up next year, but they say that _every_ year, so I don't know." Andrew picked up a napkin and brought it to the corner of Kurt's mouth, "You got some crumbs right _here_." He wiped them off and Kurt felt himself blush. "Hey, you said you live two hours away, right?"

"Yeah, it's a hell of a drive."

"If the dorms open back up, you should _totally_ board!" said Andrew.

"Probably," said Kurt, smiling. "Then I might actually get some sleep."

"Why do you go to school so far away anyway?" Andrew asked.

"Oh, well," Kurt picked up his own fork and dug into his half-eaten cup cake. "There were, just, there were problems at my old school."

"Problems?"

"And Dalton has a zero tolerance policy, so, you know."

"Oh. I see."

"I don't know if it actually works, however." Kurt said, taking a bite.

Andrew winced. "Has Nick been bothering you?"

Kurt chewed and shrugged. "Not specifically, but…"

"He's just, he's just upset." Andrew said. "I mean, what you said was upsetting."

"I never said anything to him." Kurt did not feel like defending himself. He did not feel like anyone else needed to know more about what he said in a _private_ conversation just because they got the precious semi-closeted feelings hurt by words taken completely out of context.

"That doesn't mean…"

"Let's go visit Seth," Kurt said, sitting up. "Is he at work?"

"Uh, he should be," said Andrew. "You want to see him?"

"Yeah," said Kurt. He gathered his trash and picked up his remaining cupcake. "I can't finish this. We should give it to him."

Andrew nodded, standing up and taking the plate back into the bakery. Kurt watched him, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. Andrew would never be able to understand how he felt when Blaine agreed to go out on a date with Rachel, how he said he didn't really know who he was and how he might not really be gay. How could he? It was best to just drop the subject. When Andrew returned, he held out his hand to Kurt.

"You ready?" he asked.

Kurt looked from him to his hand and back. He smiled and took it, Andrew wrapping his warm fingers around Kurt's palm. They crossed the street together, and Kurt hoped that even if they as a couple or something didn't work out, then maybe they could still be friends. Maybe Andrew could get over his solo-envy and Kurt could take Blaine on double dates with him and Seth. If, well, if Blaine wanted to.

Seth's bookstore looked small from the outside, but when they entered Kurt knew he could probably get lost in there. The shelves were densely stacked together and piled with books. A spiral staircase in the corner led up to a mezzanine lined with more shelves and more books. Andrew pulled him toward a person reading a newspaper at the front desk.

"Hey," said Andrew. "Is Seth here?"

The man let his newspaper fall and fold over his fingers to reveal his face. He was a tall man in his early thirties with big, rectangular glasses and a messy, light brown ponytail. He stared at Andrew over his glasses for a moment before laughing.

"I could see myself in the window, and I looked _so cool_ doing that. Now I'm going to celebrate how cool I am by taking a nap," the man said. He stood. "Seth! Man the register!"

Kurt could hear Seth's muffled voice from elsewhere in the store. "But I'm alphabetizing!"

The man threw up his hands as he walked around the desk and through a door. "I don't care! Man the register!"

Seth sighed loudly as he came out through the stacks. He stopped when he saw them and smiled. "Hey, guys."

"Hey," said Kurt. "We brought you a cupcake."

He held it out to Seth, who took it graciously. Kurt couldn't help but notice that Seth's smile faltered when he saw they were holding hands, but pushed the thought away in favor of something more important.

"Why are you still in your uniform?" Kurt asked.

Seth looked down at his cardigan and tie. "I'm not."

"All of Seth's clothes look like that," Andrew explained. "Boy needs to go on _What Not to Wear_, stat."

"I do _not_," Seth said as he went behind the desk to stand at the register.

"_Please_ let me take you shopping," Kurt whined. "I will do magic on you, I _swear_."

"I am perfectly satisfied with my wardrobe, thank you," said Seth. "Andrew, the new X-Men is in if you want."

"Really? _Sweet_!" Andrew began to pull Kurt further into the store.

"X-Men? What, like that Hugh Jackman movie?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," said Andrew. He stopped and tapped Kurt on the nose. "My favorite is named _Kurt_."

"There's a superhero with the same name as me?" Kurt glanced back to Seth briefly, just barely catching him frowning before his smile returned, wider than ever.

Andrew dragged him through the store to comic book section ("They're _graphic novels_!") and proceeded to explain the history of more superheroes than Kurt even knew existed. He pulled off a shelf a massive, illustrated encyclopedia of comic book characters, flipped through the pages until he landed on a favorite, at which time he would ramble on about powers, costumes and love interests.

"And _this_," Andrew said as he turned the page to reveal a silver-haired man with pointy ears, "is Northstar."

"And the significance of Northstar is…?" Kurt was both amused my Andrew's enthusiasm, and vaguely interested in what he was talking about, if only for the richness of it. He still planned on getting him pack by flipping through a copy of Vogue and pointing out and explaining every designer.

"Northstar is the first gay superhero," said Andrew, grinning.

"There are gay superheroes?" Kurt pulled the encyclopedia closer towards him to examine it.

"Yeah, man." said Andrew. "Off the top of my head, there's Batwoman, Apollo and Midnighter, I think they're married, and Anole, Hulkling and Wiccan. His name was originally Asgardian. Get it? As in _ass-guardian_?"

"How come nobody told me about this?" Kurt asked. "Aren't comics supposed to be all about macho shit?"

Andrew shrugged. "Comics are just another story-telling medium. They can be about anyone and anything."

Kurt squinted at the text. "He's from _Canada_? Who let Canada have superheroes?" Andrew laughed. Kurt glanced up and looked outside to see that the sun was starting to set. He pulled out his phone to check the time. "Oh, shit, it's almost six. I have to go Andrew, I have a long drive ahead of me."

"Really?" said Andrew, putting the book away. "Ok, I'll walk you to your car."

As they made their way back to the front of the store, Seth stopped them. "Andrew, can I talk to you?"

Andrew had pushed the door halfway open when he turned around. "Oh, uh, I guess. You ok, Kurt?"

"I think I can make it across the street by myself," he said smugly. He got the sense that Seth saying he wouldn't get jealous, the boy still needed some Andrew time, and Kurt was glad to give it to him.

As he walked back to the bakery parking lot, he wondered how he would describe the afternoon to Blaine. Would he call it a date? Would he tell him that they held hands (a scandalous act to be sure)? How would Blaine react? Kurt imagined that he would frown and look away, only to come back with a smile and sad eyes, saying _It sounds like you had a good time, Kurt, I'm happy for you_. Or maybe he would get upset, or jealous. _Why didn't you tell me you were going on a date?_ he might ask. _Andrew isn't good enough for you._

Kurt sighed in his dream world as he approached his car, reaching into his right pocket to collect his keys. His hand felt around for a moment before coming out and thrusting into his left. Kurt then patted his hands up and down his body, hoping to feel a lump or hear a jingle.

His heart beating fast, Kurt ran into the bakery, and up to the cashier. "I think I left my car keys here," he said. "Have you seen them?"

The girl shook her head. "No one has turned in any car keys, sorry."

Kurt nodded and walked back out to the parking lot. His only other option was to return to the bookstore. He searched the pavement as he crossed the street, willing his eyes to catch a glimmer of light reflecting on metal.

He pushed the door to the bookstore open and poked his head inside, but the front desk was unoccupied. He quietly closed the door behind him, and ventured into the stacks, looking around for Seth, Andrew or his keys. He stumbled upon the two boys in a corner.

At first he thought they were kissing, then a second passed and he realized they were just standing together, their arms wrapped around one another. Their eyes were closed and their faces touched, but their lips did not meet. The moment reeked of intimacy and Kurt backed away, ducking behind another shelf. He pressed a hand against his chest and breathed deeply to calm his racing heart.

"Seth?" he heard a voice call. "Where the hell are you?"

The man Kurt saw earlier popped out from around a towering stack of book and walked passed him, resting his hand against the shelf as he leaned in to yell at them. "C'mon! I don't pay you to make out!"

"Sorry!" he heard Seth say.

Kurt swallowed. "They weren't making out."

The man looked down, as if he were just now noticing he was there. "Well, of course not," he said. "Those boys are in love, even if they're too stupid to admit it. They don't need to make out, they just need to be close to one another."

"Right," Kurt breathed.

"Hey, are these yours?" the man asked. He pulled out Kurt's keys.

"Yes!" Kurt said, jumping up and grabbing them. "Thank you!"

He ran out of the store. Seth's boss or employer or whatever was right, Kurt could feel it. Kurt going out with Andrew would only cause unnecessary tension with both Seth _and_ Blaine. Tomorrow he would tell Andrew that while he had fun, there would be no more dates in their future. Besides, Kurt very much still had feelings for Blaine. He wanted what they had with Blaine. He wanted to snuggle up in a secluded area, like the world consisted of only the two of them.

As he approached is car, he heard a hissing sound. Kurt knelt down next to his left rear tire, as it was closest, and examined it, running his fingers against the surface. Air streamed out of a tiny puncture. Kurt frowned, realizing that he would have to use his spare, but it was no big deal. He knew how to change a tire. He walked around his car to check the rest of the tires just in case. When he finished. He stepped back from his car and put a hand over his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes.

All four tires were slashed.


	6. Chapter 6

THURSDAY

Five AM and Kurt was staring at the clock as usual, but angry at himself because this morning he really shouldn't have to. He'd spent the night in the guestroom of Seth's house, which amazingly was within walking distance of Dalton. He did not _need_ to be up this early, but now his internal clock woke him up anyway. He sighed and buried his face into the pillows, willing himself to fall back asleep.

Of all his up and down days, yesterday had the most extremes of both. He had gone out on a lovely date with another boy, but unfortunately they were both in love with other people. He finally thought that things at Dalton were getting better, only to have someone slash his tires. Technically, he didn't really know who did it, as there were no witnesses, so it could have been anyone. His heart, however, _knew_ it was those boys in the bakery. He remembered them now. They were in his marine biology class. _"Are they whales, or just unicorns in denial?"_

Kurt turned over in the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. When he discovered the holes in his tires, he let his paranoia get the best of him, and he ran back to the bookstore where he accused Andrew ("_You_ did this to me! You brought me here so I could be _stranded_!" "Dude, _dude_! I did _not_ mastermind some kind crazy, messed up plan to strand you, ok? Calm _down_.") After Seth intervened ("He didn't, Kurt, alright? He's not smart enough for that. I should know, I do half his homework."), the maliciousness of the act and the hopelessness of his situation sank in he started to sob into Andrew's shoulder ("Seth, if your friend gets snot on my books I will... well, I won't fire you or anything, but I'll, like, get really mad or something.").

After he finally regained his composure, Kurt mustered the courage to call his father, tell him several bold-faced lies ("No, I don't think it was done by anyone from school, Dalton's better than that. No, I'm not really that upset, just pissed.") before lamenting the idea of Burt driving four hours in one night just to pick him up. Seth suggested Kurt stay with him for the night, and after thoroughly explaining to Burt that Seth was not someone he would be 'inappropriate' with ("Please just trust me on this, Dad. He is not my type on _several_ levels.") he begrudgingly agreed.

Considering the tax bracket of most Dalton students, Seth's house was smaller than expected, but still probably more than enough considering only two people lived there. He saw Seth's brother in law exactly once, from behind, in the living room as Seth pulled him upstairs ("Eric, Kurt. Kurt, Eric. Kurt's staying with us tonight, ok? "…'kay."). They spent the night doing homework and talking. Seth was curious as to how his date with Andrew went ("It was fun, but I don't think I'll go out with him again. It's ok to look relieved. I can tell you're holding it in.") and Kurt was curious as to how often Seth's boss caught them snuggling in the stacks ("Sometimes we time it to see how long it'll take before he notices we've disappeared and he comes looking for us. Longest is an hour, the shortest is thirty seconds.")

They put Kurt's uniform in the wash so it would be acceptable to wear in the morning ("As a rule I never where the same clothes two days in a row, unless they've been washed, I know no one will be able to tell and its some kind of emergency. This is the first, and I hope _only_ time that's ever happened.") and went to bed, where Kurt found the events in the parking lot playing on repeat in his head. The feel of air gushing out of holes, the sting of tears in his eyes, and punch to the gut that was the fact that someone hated him _that much_. He remembered when Finn and Puck slashed all of Vocal Adrenaline's tires, and wondered if his actions were really comparable to egging Rachel Berry.

Kurt rubbed his eyes and sat up, climbing out of bed and making his way to the guest bathroom, where he decided that if he was up, he might as well shower. He had an emergency moisturizing and hygiene kit in his car that he managed to snag before it was towed, but it was really nothing compared to what he had at home. The guestroom and its attached bathroom obviously hadn't been touched in years ("I forget its there, sometimes."). The towels were stiff, and it took a moment after turning the tap for the shower to turn on, where it splashed and spurted before flowing evenly.

He stood under the hot water for a while, trying to let his mind go blank and concentrate only on the pressure on his head and neck. He failed, naturally, and thought about the day ahead of him. Considering how fast news spread at Dalton, everyone would probably know what happened to him. Would they care? Would they feel sorry for him? Or would they think he deserved it? When he finished, he dried himself off and moisturized, missing the extensive products he had at home. One night away and he was already homesick. He examined his sensitive skin and hoped he wouldn't break out. He dressed, made his bed, and went down the hall to see if Seth were awake.

He turned the knob and peered inside. The lights were on and the bed was empty. Kurt could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, along with the muffled sound of music. He smiled as he closed the door. He liked to listen to music while he showered, too. Seth told him anything in the kitchen was available to him, so Kurt decided to head downstairs and get some breakfast.

The pantry was split in half, one side filled with expensive, fiber-rich organic cereals, and the other filled with every childhood breakfast confection, mostly containing marshmallows. Kurt closed the door and opened the fridge, finding similar results. The left side packed with fruits and vegetables, the right stocked with meat. He grabbed a banana and hoped that Seth kept an eye on Eric's diet like he did with Burt's.

Kurt sat down at the kitchen table, absentmindedly chewing his fruit when Eric came in, still in his pajamas and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He opened the refrigerator and peered inside before coming up and looking at Kurt from over the door.

He blinked at him for a moment, and then nodded. "Oh, right. You're here."

"That I am," said Kurt.

Eric pulled out a carton of milk, nudged the door closed with his hip and grabbed a bowl from the shelf. He opened the pantry and picked out a cereal that Kurt was sure was filled with heinous food dyes. He poured himself a bowl and sat down next to Kurt.

"So, why _are_ you here?" he asked, shoveling the colorful cereal into his mouth.

Kurt shrugged. "My tires were slashed and I couldn't get home."

Eric chewed this over. "Why were your tires slashed?"

"Probably because someone was mad at me," said Kurt, not really feeling like lying.

"Why would someone be mad at you?"

"Because I said bisexuality wasn't real."

Eric laughed. "Why would you say _that_?"

Kurt stiffened. "Because every instance I've seen first-hand has been either gay guys _experimenting_ or girls making out with each other to turn guys on."

At first Kurt didn't know why he felt like defending himself to Eric and not, say, Andrew, but then he looked at him with his Star Trek t-shirt and his silly side burns and his Lucky Charms, Kurt realized that Eric was the least-threatening person he had met in a while. He could explain himself without risk.

"Perhaps," said Eric between bites. "You need to see more instances."

"Eric, leave him alone." Seth entered the kitchen, wearing his uniform and looking perfectly well groomed except for his damp hair that continuously fell in front of his eyes. He put away the milk and cereal Eric left on the counter, and then prepared a bowl of his own using almond milk and flakes of something Kurt wasn't sure he could pronounce. "Would you like anything?"

Kurt held up his banana. "I'm fine, thank you."

Seth sat down next to him. "Do you have any ideas for the anthem?"

"Oh, jeez, no." Kurt said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I completely forgot."

"Don't worry," said Seth. "Wes has probably already made a decision."  
"Anthem?" Eric asked, putting down his bowl.

"This year's Regional show choir competition's theme is _anthem_," said Seth.

"Is, um," Eric stirred his Lucky Charms. "Is that a thing I should attend?"

"You don't have to," said Seth.

Kurt looked back and forth between them. "It would be cool if you did, though. You know, show your support."

Seth looked up and glared at him. "He _really_ doesn't have to come."

Kurt blinked and Eric rolled his eyes.

"I think I'm going to go back to bed," he said, standing up and putting his bowl in the sink before heading back upstairs.

"What was that about?" Kurt asked. "Why don't you want him to come?"

Seth sighed. "It is my understanding that you have a very close relationship with your father, yes?"

Kurt nodded. "Couldn't live without him."

"Well, I don't _have_ a father, I just have Eric." Seth said. "We are not close and I'd like to keep it that way."

Kurt eyed him for a moment. "If you say so." He took another bite out of his banana. "Why do you think Wes has already decided?"

"Because he tends to decide things ahead of time," said Seth. "We'll probably just do _Survivor_ since we were already doing Density's Child anyway."

"That or Katy Perry's _Firework_." Kurt said. "We all know how Wes feels about Katy Perry."

Seth nodded. "I sort of… _prepared_ something, but it's not really worth it."

"Really?" Kurt asked. "You should totally present to counsel! Maybe they'll like it."

"Oh, I don't know," said Seth. "The Warblers are pretty predictable. We'll do a light, inoffensive pop song, of which the solo will be sung by Blaine."

"Maybe that's why this is the first year we've gotten past Sectionals," said Kurt. "We need to mix things up if we want to win."

"The _need_ to do something, and the _will_ to do something are not necessarily the _same_ thing," said Seth, finishing off his cereal.

Just as Kurt had a morning routine, Seth had a series of activities that he must complete before heading to school. After breakfast he packed his lunch, this time making one for Kurt as well. After that he would take out his homework and reexamine it, making sure every answer was correct and complete. Kurt rarely ever did this at McKinley, and certainly didn't have time to do it at Dalton. Even if he did, he doubt he would have bothered.

"I'm going to go to Columbia," Seth said when questioned.

"What's your safety school?" Kurt asked.

"I don't have a safety school," said Seth, sounding a little offended. "I'm going to go to Columbia."

"And after Columbia?"

At that, Seth's conviction died. "…stuff."

Kurt found walking to school quite refreshing. Instead of speeding down a highway, desperate to get there on time, they walked at a leisurely pace, enjoying the trees and the sunshine. If not for recent events, Kurt would have found the idea of boarding incredibly tempting, if only to have everything so close by.

"The fire started in the east wing, where the sophomores lived," said Seth as they made their way up the sidewalk. "There are many theories as to how and why. Some people think someone was trying to burn evidence of cheating, others believe it was caused by some kind of gas leak."

"I think Puck set fire to someone's shoes at McKinley, once," said Kurt. "Or, maybe it was his own shoes. I wasn't there, I don't know."

Seth adjusted the strap on his bag. "If it does re-open, I speculate that the cost of housing will greatly increase, as the administration is constantly going on about how _updated_ the dorms will be. You know, TVs and things."

"Does, um, does Dalton have any, like, scholarships?" Kurt asked. "You know, for the under-privileged?"

"One of the many things the dean says he'll introduce," said Seth, shaking his head, "and never does."

As they reached the school, Kurt contemplated really living there. He would see his family and New Directions friends even less, but he would be able to sleep and finish all of his homework in a timely manner. Maybe he could join more clubs, get straight As and be able to say confidently that he could go to an Ivy League school.

Blaine ran out to meet them.

"Kurt!" he called out as he jogged toward them. Blaine jumped up and embraced him. "I heard about what happened. I'm _so sorry_."

"It's ok," said Kurt, patting him on the pack and relishing in the touch. "It's just tires."

"I know, but, like, someone was _stabbing_ things, and thinking of _you_ while they did it!" Blaine pulled away and stared up at him with wide eyes.

"That is such a lovely way of putting it." Kurt said flatly.

"I'm sorry. Can we just, can we forget about everything with Rachel? It's just, it's just that what happened to you made me think of Karofsky and I freaked out and…" Blaine went in for another hug. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

Kurt smiled into Blaine's shoulder. "Thanks."

"I'm going to catch up with Andrew," said Seth. "I'll see you in French, ok Kurt?"

"Ok, see you," said Kurt as he walked off, grateful that he and Seth were both somehow able to tell when the other wanted to be alone with someone.

"So other than getting your tires slashed," said Blaine as he pulled away. "How have you been? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."

"I, well, I've been… ok." Kurt said, shrugging. "Other than my tires, yesterday was one of my better days. I went on a _date_, actually."

Blaine looked down and smiled. "I know."

"You do?"

Blaine shrugged. "I may or may not have told Andrew not to ask you out and I may or may not have gotten really mad at him when he did anyway."

"What did you do _that_ for?" Kurt asked, punching him lightly on the arm and feel immensely pleased.

"Oh, I don't know," said Blaine. "I guess I was just feeling over protective. None of these guys are good enough for you, you know."

Kurt closed his eyes and sighed. "That is true."

"It is?" Blaine asked. "So does that mean you're not…"

"Naw," said Kurt, waving the idea away. "Andrew and Seth are in love, they're just too stupid to admit it."

Blaine looked away again. "I know how that is."

The school doors opened and the boys began to pour inside. "We'd better get to class."

"Yeah," said Blaine. He wrapped an arm around Kurt and they walked up the stairs together.

Kurt entered his first class walking on air. Blaine tried to prevent another boy from going out with him, and then became so upset about what happened to him that he wanted to drop the Rachel Berry disaster altogether. He sat down at his desk, but he wasn't really in his classroom, he was on cloud nine.

"Hey, Hummel!" Brought out from his trance, Kurt turned around to see a boy holding a copy of the Dalton Gazette.

"What?" he asked.

The boy tossed the school paper to him. "Have you seen the front page?"

Kurt looked down at the paper in his hands and felt the blood drain from his face. A blank and white picture of himself adorned the page, a headline in big, bold letters emblazoned the top.

HYPOCRITE OF THE YEAR.

Kurt quickly turned the page to read the article, heat rising up on his neck.

_Have you met Kurt Hummel? A resent transfer from William McKinley High School, Hummel first came to Dalton as a spy for his school's glee club. He soon came to Dalton on a more permanent basis that has less to do with espionage than it did homophobia. William McKinley High School is apparently rife with individuals who would rather see Hummel die than just be himself. He was removed from that environment in favor of our beloved Dalton Academy, and found a haven in its magnanimous zero-tolerance harassment policy. Unfortunately, a story about a young man finding safety and belonging is sullied when we learn that he does not believe others should share in it._

_Things are apparently quite black and white for mister Hummel. Dalton is a place free of hatred and bigotry, as long as you're gay or straight. Anything in between, however, is undeserving of such security. Why? Because according to Hummel, such persons do not exist._

_"Bisexual is a term gay guys use when they want to hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for once," says Hummel, completely disregarding the feelings and experiences of several Dalton students._

_This now begs the question: what kind of person would take advantage of Dalton's refuge while denying it to others? This, my friends is why Kurt Hummel has been dubbed Hypocrite of the Year._

Kurt wanted to throw up. He crumpled the paper in his hands as he sank into his seat. He glanced around the room and discovered that everyone was staring at him. This was not a paranoid delusion. Every boy in his class held a copy of the Dalton Gazette in their hands, and watched him. Kurt clenched his jaw and gazed straight ahead. Their teacher came in, and class started, but Kurt didn't know what she taught them. He continued to look out in front of him, but he couldn't see the board or the people in front of him.

When the bell rang and class ended, Kurt picked up his bag and ventured into the hall. The boys stared at him in silence there as well, the sea of students parting in two as he made his way to his next class. Kurt couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He wanted to cry but no tears would fall. He wanted to punch a wall but he couldn't move accept to continue walking.

He remembered Nick was in his next class, and suddenly his body shifted, taking a turn in the opposite direction of where he was supposed to be going. His legs guided him to the library, where he breezed past the librarian who didn't seem to notice him, until he reached the farthest back corner. Kurt then collapsed against a shelf, pulling his legs up to his chest. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his knees.

* * *

"Nick, are you behind this?" Andrew hissed, shaking the newspaper in his face. "Because if you are…"

"This is _not_ what I told Lennon to do at _all_," said Nick, snatching the paper from him. "I _swear_."

Andrew shook his head "Really, Nick, _really_? That's pretty hard to believe since you've had it out for him for a _while_." He glanced up at the door. "When he gets here, you better get down on your knees and _grovel_."

"Why the hell should I?" Nick snapped. "This is shitty, yeah, but he's finally being held accountable for what he said."

"Stop it. Just _shut up_, ok?" said Andrew. "Stop acting like your some kind of white knight because you're _not_. You are _just as bad_ as he is."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Andrew slammed his fist against his desk. "I'm talking about _you_, ok? I'm talking about you saying shit like I _have_ to be bi, just because I've been attracted to people who _happen_ to be either male or female."

"Andrew, that's what it _means_," said Nick, rolling his eyes.

"_No,_ ok?" said Andrew. "You know what I did? I freaking _googled_ myself, how I feel, and you want to know what I found?"

Nick shrugged. "What?"

"_I'm not alone_," Andrew breathed. "There are other people who feel the exact same way I do, that it's not _about_ the person's gender, that I can be attracted to a person no matter what they are, guy, girl or otherwise. And there's a _word_ for it, something I can _call_ myself when people ask." Andrew threw his arms up into the air. "I'm _pansexual_!"

"Well, well," Nick frowned. "How was I supposed to know about that? Gay, straight or bi is all I've ever _known_."

"Did it ever occur to you that gay or straight is all _Kurt_ has ever known?" Andrew said, gesturing to his picture on the paper. "Where is he, anyway? Class is gonna start."

The bell rang and Kurt was nowhere to be seen. Nick and Andrew looked at each other and spoke in unison. "_Shit._"

When second period ended, Andrew rushed to meet Seth outside his next class, knowing that he and Kurt had it together. He pulled his friend aside, whispering to him urgently, and holding up another copy of the paper. They were everywhere now, scattered about the floors and taped to the walls.

"Have you seen this?" he asked.

Seth sighed. "Obviously. What was Lennon _thinking_?"

"Kurt didn't show up to class last period," said Andrew. "He _did_ come to school, right? I mean, you brought him here."

"Oh, no," said Seth, shaking his head. "He seemed so happy this morning. I have no idea what must be going on in his head right now."

Andrew ran his hands through his hair. "I don't care if I'm late, I want to make sure he's alright. You guys do have this class together, right?"

"Yes," Seth said. "It's all just so _absurd_. Yes, Kurt can be ignorant, but he's open to education. You just, you just have to sit him down and _explain_ things and he'll understand."

"Right," said Andrew, nodding. "I mean, he'll still say some weird stuff, but…"

Seth tilted his head. "Weird stuff? What do you mean?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Andrew scratched the back of his head. "He just said something at the bakery that kind of threw me off."

"What did he say?" Seth asked, squinting.

"He just said that like, maybe if you knew your dad, you would be, like, how you are." Seth stared at him and his mouth became very tight. Andrew put his hands on his shoulders. "Seth, come on, don't get mad."

"I'm not mad," said Seth. He pushed Andrew away and head for his class. "I'm just _disappointed_."

Andrew groaned in frustration, looked up and down the corridor for Kurt before running to study hall. He managed to get there in time, just before the bell rang, sitting quickly in an empty seat without looking at who also occupied the table. A hand slammed on the desk and he looked up to see Blaine, his eyes boring deep into his soul.

"Tell me what you know about this," he said. "_Now_."

Andrew gulped. "I know Nick told Lennon to write an article about Kurt but that this isn't what he wanted it to be."

"Did Nick slash Kurt's tires?" Blaine asked.

"I don't think so," said Andrew.

"Are you in love with Seth?"

"Wait, _what_?' Andrew gaped at him. "What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

Blaine frowned and looked away. "Kurt said he didn't want to go out with you again because you were in love with Seth and too stupid to admit it."

"_Really_?" Andrew asked. "But, I, we, I mean, I do _love_ him, but it's like…" He sighed. "Damn it."

"Ok," said Blaine, relaxing.

"You're an asshole for making him wait for you," Andrew said, glaring.

"Well, I'm not gonna make him wait anymore, alright?" Blaine said, crossing his arms.

"Only because you realized he might _not_." Andrew snapped.

"Shut _up_," said Blaine. "It's not _like that_."

Their supervisor slammed her ruler against their table. "Mr. Anderson, Mr. Starkofsky, how many times are we going to have to do this? Separate yourselves _immediately_."

The boys obeyed, sending each other scowls as they walked to opposite sides of the room.

* * *

At lunchtime, Kurt shifted out of his fetal position to pull out the meal Seth packed for him. He crunched on some baby carrots, resting his forehead against the bookshelf. A few more hours and he could just call a cab to the repair shop where his car was and go home. He could tell his father that Dalton burned down or something. Kurt heard rustling and looked up to see Blaine sitting down next to him.

Kurt swallowed. "Do you hate me too?"

Blaine shook his head and Kurt leaped into his arms, burying his face into his shoulder. Blaine rubbed his back, rocking him gently. They stayed there for a moment; just the two of them, and Kurt felt the tightness in his chest unclench and warmth spread over his body. He wondered if this was how Seth and Andrew felt when they were together.

"Are you ok?" Blaine asked. Kurt didn't move. "I'm sorry, I know you're not ok. We're getting to the bottom of this, alright?"

Kurt mumbled into his neck.

"What was that?"

Kurt mumbled again.

"You're gonna have to speak up."

Kurt pulled away and wiped his eyes. "Every word was true. I don't deserve to go here."

"What?" said Blaine. "How can you say that?"

"Because I _do_ think that!" Kurt said. "I _do_ think that bisexuality and whatever else isn't _real_, and Dalton's supposed to be a safe haven for _everyone_, not just the people I approve of."

Blaine sighed. "You're over-reacting. We'll clear all this up and everything's gonna be ok."

"No, it isn't." Kurt groaned and rubbed face. "You started this, you know."

"What?" Blaine blinked. "How?"

"You just, you just _had_ to go see _Love Story_ with Rachel Berry. If you hadn't of said yes, then I wouldn't have said all that shit and _none of this would've happened_."

Blaine stiffened. "Don't start this again, Kurt."

"Well, it's _true_!" Kurt said, his voice cracking. "Do you have any idea how I _felt_when you said you might not be gay? Do you have any idea what that _meant_ to me? There is no _in between_ where I come from. Anything not straight is _completely_ gay and any straight boy wants _nothing_ to with anything gay. _Nothing_." Kurt sniffed. "If you were so goddamn _confused_, why the hell did you need to go out with a _girl_ to figure it out? Why couldn't you have just figured things out with _me_?"

"Kurt, I…"

"_No_. You were just gonna go off with a girl and _leave me behind_."

Blaine stared at him for a moment, his brows knit. "I wasn't leaving you behind." Kurt scoffed. "I _wasn't_. Could you please, just, please try to look at it from _my_ perspective. Imagine knowing you are gay…"

"Oh, gee, I'll _try_."

Blaine took a deep breath. "Imagine knowing you are gay. You have always known you're gay, without ever any doubt in your mind. You never went out with any girls because you _knew_ you didn't like them. Then one night, at a party, you kiss a girl during a stupid game of spin the bottle. You've never kissed anyone before, and despite the fact that all signs point to kissing this girl be _severely unappealing,_, it feels _good_. All of that shit you thought you knew about yourself is now _completely_ out the window."

"But, but," said Kurt. "You didn't' _have_ to. You didn't _have_ go out with _her_."

"Shit, Kurt, _yes, I did_," said Blaine. "You honestly think it would have been better if I tried to figure things out with you instead? Kurt, that would have been an even _bigger_ risk. What if I kissed you and it _didn't_ feel good?"

Kurt gulped, and looked away.

"It would have just, it would have just proved all of them _right_. That, that this, who I convinced myself I was, that it just like a _phase_ or something and all that stupid shit my dad said about just finding the right _girl_ was completely _true_."

"But it wouldn't have been like that!" Kurt said, tugging on Blaine's jacket. "You aren't bi! You don't like girls! Everything would have been _ok_."

Blaine pushed him away and stood up. "You never _once_ thought about how _I_ felt about my own goddamn confusion, did you?. You were just too wrapped up in how it effected _you_." He started to back away. "You know, Kurt, sometimes, it's just _not about you_."

He left, and Kurt once again curled up against the shelf. He stayed there, his eyes pressed against his knees, watching pixilated blobs dance back and forth across his vision. Every once in a while, he raise his head and take deep, gulping breaths before hiding again, trying desperately not to break out into sobs. Eventually, he fell asleep. He woke up with a start at the ringing of a bell, only to check his phone and see that three periods had gone by and the Warbler meeting had already started. He rubbed his eyes and stood, using his phone to find a taxi service to take him to the repair shop so he could just go home.

He missed home so much. He missed his father, and Carole and Finn. He missed McKinley and it's plain white walls. He got up and moseyed out of the library, giving the librarian a short wave before leaving. The halls were now empty, except for copies of the Dalton Gazette strewn all around. Kurt's own eyes stared up at him, and he marveled at Lennon's ability to select a picture. One look at the smug grin on his face and he would hate himself, too.

He stopped in front of the senior commons, where he knew Warbler practice was being held. He could hear music, and he suspected that people were presenting their anthem ideas. Kurt found himself smiling when he remembered that he encouraged Seth to present even when he thought it was hopeless. He wondered what song Seth had selected, and if it was good enough to be sung at Regionals. Kurt didn't think he would ever know, now. He wasn't coming back here, and certainly wasn't returning to McKinley. Maybe his dad would let him finish high school online.

Kurt let his temptation get the better of him and he crept up to the doors, peering through the crack between them. Connor finished up his song, _Smells Like Teen Spirit_, he guessed, and the Warblers clapped politely as they did after every audition.

"Thank you, Connor," said Wes. "That was very… interesting. Now, if that is all the suggestions, we will move on to…"

Seth raised his hand. "I, um, I have prepared something."

Kurt chuckled as Wes sighed. "Yes, Seth?"

Seth stood up and walked to the center of the room. "I just, um, I feel that this song reflects the, um, diversity of this group and that it could be, uh, an acceptable anthem for Regionals." Wes rubbed his eyes and nodded, gesturing for Seth to continue. "Andrew?" Andrew pulled out his laptop and opened, turning on some music.

The song was slow to start, but Kurt recognized the opening guitar riff. He held a hand over his mouth to stop himself from singing along.

_When the earth was still flat,  
And the clouds made of fire,  
And mountains stretched up to the sky,  
Sometimes higher,  
Folks roamed the earth  
Like big rolling kegs.  
They had two sets of arms.  
They had two sets of legs.  
They had two faces peering  
Out of one giant head  
So they could watch all around them  
As they talked; while they read.  
And they never knew nothing of love.  
It was before the origin of love.  
The origin of love._

Kurt pulled himself away from the crack and leaned against the door, listening.

_And there were three sexes then,  
One that looked like two men  
Glued up back to back,  
Called the children of the sun.  
And similar in shape and girth  
Was the children of the earth.  
They looked like two girls  
Rolled up in one.  
And the children of the moon  
Was like a fork shoved on a spoon.  
They were part sun, part earth  
Part daughter, part son._

_The origin of love_

_Now the gods grew quite scared  
Of our strength and defiance  
And Thor said,  
"I'm gonna kill them all  
With my hammer,  
Like I killed the giants."  
But Zeus said, "No,  
You better let me  
Use my lightening, like scissors,  
Like I cut the legs off the whales  
And dinosaurs into lizards."  
Then he grabbed up some bolts  
And he let out a laugh,  
Said, "I'll split them right down the middle.  
Gonna cut them right up in half."  
And then storm clouds gathered above  
Into great balls of fire_

Kurt slid down against the door, once again sinking to his knees. The soft song became rougher, and Kurt laughed at Seth sang his heart out. He wanted to be in there so bad, to smile at him and let him know he was doing well.

_And then fire shot down  
From the sky in bolts  
Like shining blades of a knife.  
And it ripped  
Right through the flesh  
Of the children of the sun  
And the moon  
And the earth.  
And some Indian god  
Sewed the wound up into a hole,  
Pulled it round to our belly  
To remind us of the price we pay.  
And Osiris and the gods of the Nile  
Gathered up a big storm  
To blow a hurricane,  
To scatter us away,  
In a flood of wind and rain,  
And a sea of tidal waves,  
To wash us all away,  
And if we don't behave  
They'll cut us down again  
And we'll be hopping round on one foot  
And looking through one eye. _

The song slowed down and Kurt quietly brought himself back to his feet.

_Last time I saw you  
We had just split in two.  
You was looking at me.  
I was looking at you.  
You had a way so familiar,  
But I could not recognize,  
Cause you had blood on your face;  
And I had blood in my eyes.  
But I could swear by your expression  
That the pain down in your soul  
Was the same as the one down in mine.  
That's the pain,  
That cuts a straight line down through the heart;  
We called it love.  
So we wrapped our arms around each other,  
Trying to shove ourselves back together.  
We was making love, making love.  
It was a cold dark evening,  
Such a long time ago,  
When by the mighty hand of Jove,  
It was the sad story  
How we became lonely two-legged creatures,  
It's the story, the origin of love.  
That's the origin of love._

.

Kurt walked away as the song finished. He didn't want to listen to Wes reject it in favor of some easy pop song. He pushed through Dalton's ornate front doors and out into the afternoon sun.

END OF PART SIX.

Thank you for reading! _One chapter left you guys, omg_.


	7. Chapter 7

FRIDAY

Kurt squinted at the silhouette in his window, his heart racing. The figure raised its hand and knocked on the glass. Kurt threw his covers over his head, and contemplated screaming out for his father. Did his troubles at Dalton follow him back to Lima, or was this just some random creep? The figure knocked again and he heard a muffled voice.

"Kurt?" said the figure. "Kurt, I can tell you're awake."

He took a deep breath a sat up. "Who are you?"

"It's me."

"And who is _me_?" Kurt asked, rolling his eyes.

"It's Seth."

Kurt bounced out of his bed and ran up to the window, pressing his hand against the glass. "_Seth_? What you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"12:30," Seth said. "I needed to talk to you and you were not answering your phone."

"So you drove all the way down here? Couldn't it have waited?"

Seth shrugged. "Considering how you disappeared, I suspected you weren't going to come to school tomorrow… or today, technically. And I didn't drive, I took a bus."

He was right. Kurt was planning on telling Burt and Carole that he wasn't feeling well and spending the day holed up in his room. He pulled the latch and pushed the window open. "Fine. Talk."

"I just," Seth swallowed and inhaled. "Andrew said you said something and it didn't really make any sense and I wanted to make sure you actually did say it."

"What did he say I said?"

Seth sighed. "He said you said that I wouldn't be so confused about my gender if I knew my father."

"Oh." Kurt rubbed his eyes. "Seth, I have said so many things I shouldn't have said this week, I can barely keep track of them all. If I did say that, it was stupid and I'm sorry."

"Ok," said Seth, nodding. He looked down at his hands. "Thank you. I, um, I know it's a little extreme to come all the way down here, but, I, um, I don't have a lot of people who ever, um, try to understand how I am. I know I have Warblers and debate and mathletes, but I don't really have a lot of people that I would call _friends_. It was mostly just Andrew, and then I had _you_ and I, um, really needed to make sure I hadn't lost it. My friendship with you, I mean."

Kurt put a hand on his shoulder. "You haven't. Do you want to come inside?"

"Yeah, actually." Seth said. "It's kind of cold."

Kurt helped him climb through the window and into the bedroom, where he sat awkwardly on his bed. Kurt turned on lights and sat next to him. "So what's going on? Dalton collectively hates me now, right?"

"The consensus is mixed," said Seth. "Some people think Lennon should be expelled, others think the article was justified, but that putting it up all around the school was too far, and then certain individuals are calling for your public humiliation."

"As if that hasn't already happened," Kurt said with a sigh.

"Kurt, why _did_ you say that, exactly?" Seth asked. "Why do you feel that way about bisexuality?"

Kurt buried his face in his hands. "Because I'm a coward."

"What?"

"I honestly never really thought about it until Blaine said he might be bi," Kurt explained. "And I just… reacted badly. I thought I was losing him."

"Blaine still would have been your friend if he were bi, Kurt," said Seth, putting a hand on his arm.

"It wasn't just about him being my friend." Kurt said, wringing his hands. "He was the only other openly gay guy I had ever met. At McKinley, I was _so alone_. The only other _possibly_ other gay guy there wanted to _kill_ me."

"Kill you?" Seth asked. "Kurt, I'm sure he didn't…"

"No, Seth, he _did_," Kurt said, looking up at him. "He _kissed_ me, and then he said if I told anyone he would kill me. I got him expelled for like, a week, and then his parents got the school board to overturn it because there were no witnesses."

Seth winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"The only ever mention of bisexuality was when girls made out in front of guys," said Kurt, "or when the football team told Finn that both being the quarterback and in glee made him bisexual."

"That is…" Seth squinted. "_remarkably_ asinine."

Kurt laughed. "I know. Meeting Blaine was best thing that ever happened to me. I looked up to him _so much_. He was out, and proud, and went to a school where no one gave him shit for it."

"And then he kissed a girl."

"Exactly. It was stupid how I reacted, and selfish." Kurt sighed and lay back onto the bed. "I'll be lucky if he ever talks to me again."

"I kind of never wanted to talk to you again," said Seth. "But I cared about you enough to talk to you about it and you apologized. However, you can't wait for the people you wronged to _ask_ for an apology. If you're sorry for what you said, you should tell him."

"When?" Kurt asked. "I can't go back to school tomorrow!"

"Sure, you can," said Seth, laying down nest to him. "Besides, the Warblers are voting on our anthem, and you need to be there."

"I stopped by to see your song," said Kurt. "You did really well."

Seth smiled. "Thank you. Kurt, you need to come back to school. You need to show everyone that you aren't some willfully ignorant hypocrite and that you can admit you were wrong."

"Do I have to?" Kurt squirmed. "Can't I just hide in my room forever?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Well, can we at least beat the shit out of Lennon after I apologize to everyone?"

Seth looked up at the ceiling, thinking it over. "Probably not, but we can make a formal complaint to the dean."

Kurt sighed again. "How _underwhelming_."

"I know," said Seth, snuggling into Kurt's covers. "But it's what we can do."

"Seth, uh, how exactly did you plan on getting back to Westerville?" Kurt asked.

Seth frowned. "I became rather caught up in the impulsivity of the moment and did not think things through, did I?"

"No," said Kurt, laughing. "You did not. C'mon, get in bed. We'll get up way before my dad, so he probably won't even notice you were here." Seth took off his shoes and jacket before crawling under the covers while Kurt got up, closing the window and turning out the lights. Kurt got in beside him, squinting at his friend in the dark. "Two sleepovers in one week."

"And we were only formally introduced on Tuesday," said Seth, smiling.

"Here's to hoping this doesn't burn out too fast," said Kurt. "Good night."

"Good night, Kurt."

* * *

Kurt closed his eyes and suddenly it was 5 am again. While normally he would stare at the clock and let the alarm go on for a while, Kurt jumped to turn it off for the sake of his guest. They dressed quickly, Seth barrowing one of Kurt's ties and a blazer, and quietly snuck out of the house. Seth insisted on driving, on the basis that he woke Kurt up in the middle of the night, disturbing his precious sleep. Kurt was happy to let him do it, until twenty minutes into the drive and he realized that Seth tended to go ten under the speed limit.

When they finally reached Dalton, Kurt pulled into a spot farthest away from the building, and gripped the steering wheel tightly, forcing Seth to pry his fingers off it and push him out the door. Kurt leaned against the car and regained his composure, reminding himself that he needed to do this, no matter how hard it was. Andrew waved at them as he exited his own car.

"You should do him first," said Seth. "Since he's right there."

"For what?" Kurt asked. "I never said anything to him."

Seth rolled his eyes. "You told him his sexuality didn't make any sense."

"Oh," said Kurt, nodding. "Right. Wish me luck." He forced himself over to Andrew, who immediately hugged him.

"You're ok!" said Andrew, squeezing Kurt tightly. "We thought you were never gonna come back."

"Well, that was the plan," said Kurt, hugging him back. "But Seth had to go and ruin everything."

Andrew pulled away and grinned. "He does that."

"I need to apologize," Kurt announced, gulping.

"Yeah, I know," said Andrew. "Nick and Blaine are…"

Kurt shook his head. "No, to you."

"What?" Andrew blinked at him. "For what?"

"For, um," Kurt took a deep breath. "For saying that how you felt, you know, about guys and girls and everything in between, didn't make sense. It makes sense to _you_, and that's what really matters."

Andrew took this in for a moment before nodding. "Thanks, I appreciate that."

"And, um," Kurt shuffled his feet. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you again. I'm in love with someone else."

"I know," said Andrew, sighing.

Kurt glanced back to Seth, who waited by his car. "A problem I believe we _both_ have."

Andrew scratched the back of his head. "Aw, c'mon, don't make me talk about that problem. If I talk about that problem, I'd end up having to, like, face it and shit."

"You should face it," said Kurt. "I mean, I'm facing all of _my_ problems today. It would be nice to know that I'm not the only one."

"I might give it a _try,_" said Andrew, waving to Seth as he approached them.

"Are you guys ready?" Seth asked. "Class is starting soon."

"Yeah," said Kurt.

Andrew nodded and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah, we're good."

He walked with them through the doors, reveling in their support until they parted ways in the foyer. Kurt swallowed and held his head high as he marched through the halls, knowing that everyone was staring at him, gossip still reeling from yesterday. He spent his first class mostly in silence, trying to concentrate on the lesson while formulating his upcoming apologies in his mind. He had not completed any of his homework, and after meeting the disappointed stare of his teacher, Kurt realized that he would have to face five more of such stares, making his day all the more difficult.

"I kind of had a nervous breakdown," Kurt explained. "But I'm, um, better now." He heard the intake of breath and various hushed words behind him. Kurt turned around. "I'm sure you all know why."

The boys stared back at him for a moment before quickly turning back to their work. Kurt's teacher arched an eyebrow and moved back to her chalkboard. Kurt felt oddly satisfied, calling the boys in his class out. He hoped it would give him to courage to talk to Nick in second period.

Class ended, and Kurt held onto his desk for a moment, breathing deeply before gathering his things and venturing out into the hallway. Andrew met up with him, putting an arm around his shoulder as they approached their classroom.

"Have you thought at all about what you're gonna say to Nick?" Andrew asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Only all of first period."

They entered the room, where Nick sat in the back, chewing his nails. Kurt made his way across the room and sat down next to him. Nick glared at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice dripping his disdain.

Kurt stiffened, then closed his eyes and relaxed. "I'm sorry."

"_Excuse_ me?" said Nick.

"I'm _sorry_," Kurt repeated, letting his eyes open. "I'm sorry that I said bisexuality wasn't real. I was _wrong_. I'm sorry that what I said hurt you. My words were mean and ignorant, and I apologize."

Nick blinked at Kurt for a moment, stunned. He looked up at Andrew. "Is he serious?"

"Totes," said Andrew, sitting down.

"I'm serious, Nick." Kurt said. "I want you to understand that I have, well, that I have learned my lesson and that I'm sorry."

Nick sank down in his chair. "I'm sorry, too. That article was messed up. I wanted Lennon to write about how just because we have this zero-tolerance policy doesn't mean we all get along and understand each other, but he made it into this giant hate-fest."

"The article was _your_ idea?" said Kurt.

"Yeah, I know," said Nick. "I'm sorry I knocked you down in the hallway on Monday, too."

"You said that was an accident!" Andrew said.

Nick shrugged. "I kept telling myself that, but it really wasn't. I just got really mad when Lennon told me about what you said. It's kind of exactly what my parents think about me, too."

Kurt smiled. "Well, if I can forgive Finn for throwing me into a dumpster and calling me a fag, then I can forgive you for momentary insanity."

"I don't know who Finn is, but thanks," said Nick, sheepishly. "Oh, hey, Andrew. I looked up pansexuality last night."

Andrew sat up. "You did?"

"Wait," said Kurt, looking back at him. "What's that?"

"Pansexual is what _I_ am," Andrew explained. "You know, I like people, not genders."

Kurt nodded. "Oh, ok. Insert frying pan joke _here_, but ok."

Nick reached into his bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a pink, yellow and blue armband. "I made you this. It's your pride flag."

Andrew reached across Kurt and grabbed. "_Sweet_, man, thank you!" He pushed it onto his wrist, grinning as his admired it.

"So," said Kurt, turning back to Nick. "Friends?"

Nick looked him up and down incredulously before smiling. "Yeah, friends."

Kurt let out the breath he was holding. "_Lovely_. So do you know who slashed my tires?"

"What?" said Nick. "Oh, jeez, no man, I don't. I'm sorry about that too, by the way."

Kurt crossed his arms and huffed. "I know, I know. It's ok. I'd just like to know who did it so I can key their car."

"_Kurt_!" said Andrew, stifling a laugh. "Don't say shit like that!"

"Right, right," said Kurt with a sigh. "Think before you speak, Hummel."

Things going remarkably better than he thought they would, Kurt let himself relax for the remainder of class. Sitting with friends was always better than sitting alone, and Kurt sound himself feeling _happy_, which he really hadn't felt too much since leaving McKinley.

Seth joined him in their third period French class, with a copy of their homework in hand. Kurt stared at it as his friend tried to slip him the handful of papers without Monsieur Keller noticing. Kurt briskly shook his head and pushed them away.

"You can't do my homework for me!" Kurt hissed. "It's _cheating_."

"Just _take it_," Seth whispered, shoving the work into his hands. "I can't stand the thought of you failing, ok? If I start surrounding myself with people who fail, then that mentality will start to rub off on _me_, and then _I'll_ fail and I won't get into Columbia and I'll never be able to do all the, the, the _stuff_ I want to do!"

"That's not going to happen!" Kurt said. Seth shot him a look that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. "_Fine_. But just this once, ok?"

Seth nodded, satisfied. "Ok. How did things go with Nick?"

"Surprisingly well," said Kurt. "He even made Andrew a pansexual arm band thingy."

"Oh, that was nice of him," said Seth. "Have you talked to Blaine yet?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not yet. I guess I'll have to talk to him at lunch, but I have no idea _how_. Through all this, I know I've hurt him the most, and I don't know if I can face him."

"I'm sure you can," said Seth.

Monsieur Keller came up to them as he collected the homework. Kurt handed his in, smiling innocently while Seth kept his face completely blank. Their teacher squinted at them for a moment before moving on to gather work from the rest of the class.

Kurt watched Keller for a moment before turning back to Seth. "But I didn't just say something stupid to him, ok? I completely disregarded his feelings, and like, expected him to live up to a standard he never agreed to. What am I supposed to say to make that better?"

"You, um, are aware you can just tell him _that_, right?" Seth asked, tilting his head to the left.

"This is different from you and Andrew and Nick, ok?" said Kurt. "Blaine is, well, Blaine is special."

Monsieur gestured for the class to quiet down, and Kurt felt his heart begin to thump. He had been such a terrible friend to Blaine. Of course Andrew and Seth would forgive him for an off-hand remarks, but he had just completely marginalized Blaine's feelings for _Blaine's own problem_. Kurt doubted he could tolerate such behavior in his own friends, so why should they tolerate it in him?

* * *

Kurt stood just outside the cafeteria doorway, a rock in the river of students flowing in. If he did not muster the strength to talk to Blaine today, then he would have to accept that he had lost him forever. He remembered the text Blaine sent him all those months ago, when their friendship was fresh and uncomplicated.

_Courage_.

He took a deep breath and walked in, scanning the tables and lines for his friend. Blaine sat with the Warblers like he always did, eating and talking. Andrew showed off his new armband, and Blaine admired it politely. Kurt watched Seth slip an arm around Andrew's elbow and smile into his shoulder. His chest tightened as he pictured himself doing the same to Blaine. He came up to the table, where all the Warblers immediately shut up and stared.

"Hey, Kurt," said Jeff. "Where you been? You weren't at practice yesterday."

"I know," said Kurt. "I was, um, I just had to figure some things out. Blaine, can we talk? Like, privately?"

Blaine looked up at him from his seat, patting his mouth with a napkin. They stared at one another for a moment, Kurt willing him to saw yes. "…ok."

Kurt let out a sigh of relief. "Great. Let's, um, let's go to the library."

Blaine got up and followed Kurt across the cafeteria in silence. Kurt could not think of a moment between them that had ever been so tense. He wanted to touch him, do anything that might reassure him that Blaine was still his friend and that things would not be this way forever. He lead the boy to a section secluded stacks and turned around to face him.

Blaine cleared his throat. "Nick told me you apologized."

"Yeah," said Kurt, nodding. "I'm apologizing to everyone I've hurt, including you."

"Oh," said Blaine.

Kurt looked down and shuffled his feet. "Since the moment I met you, I, um, I put you on this, this pedestal." His eyes stung, and he looked up to keep the tears from falling over. "I didn't think of you, I didn't _treat_ as a person, as a _human being_ with your own troubles and doubts and fears. I just saw you as this, this perfect example of what I thought all gay guys should be."

"I'm not," Blaine breathed. "I'm not perfect at all."

"I know that now," Kurt said, finally looking into his eyes. "It was unfair for me to treat you like that, to hold you to this ridiculous standard that I had made up for you in my head. I'm so sorry, Blaine."

Blaine stepped forward. "Kurt…"

"Everyone at McKinley is an asshole in their own little ways," said Kurt. "You were just, you were just so nice to me from the very beginning, you were so _different_. I love all of my friends there, but, but I needed something else. I needed support from someone like _you_. And you were so confident and happy that I didn't realize that, that…"

"That I might need the same support from you, too?" Blaine asked.

"I'm _sorry_" Kurt said, his voice cracking. A tear ran down his cheek and Blaine quickly wrapped his arms around him. Kurt held him close. "I'm sorry I said all that stuff to you. I was just so _afraid_ and so _angry_, that I lost control of myself and that I said things that not only hurt you, but hurt a _lot_ people."

Blaine squeezed him. "I know, I know. It's ok."

"I promise," said Kurt. "I promise I won't get mad every time I'm reminded you're not perfect. I'll be there for you, no matter what, ok? I'll be whatever you need. Just, just _please_ forgive me, Blaine. You're my best friend and I love you _so much_."

"I love you, too." Blaine whispered.

They stood together, rocking quietly for a few minutes and enjoying each other's warmth before Kurt pulled away and wiped his eyes. "So you forgive me?"

"Of _course_ I do, Kurt." Blaine said, smiling.

"Do you think the _school_ will forgive me?" Kurt asked.

Blaine looked away. "I don't know. Lennon's article is gonna leave an impact."

"I can, like, I can make a formal complaint to the dean, right?" said Kurt. "Seth said I could."

"Well, that's debatable," said Blaine. "Complaints like that are usually filled out for physical stuff like fighting. The dean prefers it if we solve our civil disagreements on our own."

"_Civil disagreement_?" said Kurt, is mouth falling open in shock. "He plastered that article _all over the school_! How the hell does that not fall into harassment?"

Blaine shrugged. "The rules are only clear about physical assault and slurs. Everything else is up for interpretation."

"Fine," said Kurt as he turned away to storm out of the library. "If he wants us to solve our _civil disagreements_ on our own, then I _will_."

Blaine grabbed his hand to stop him. "Wait, Kurt, what are you even gonna say to him? That he's a jerk? He already knows that and he _doesn't care_."

Kurt inhaled deeply, thinking. "I'm gonna make him publish the article Nick _wanted_ him to."

"What?" Blaine asked, following Kurt out of the library. "There was a different article? What about?"

"About how these rules are _useless_." Kurt snapped as they reentered the cafeteria. "Sure, we're not allowed to treat each other like shit, but doesn't mean we treat each other with _respect_."

Kurt marched up to the table where he knew the kids who ran the school paper ate their lunch. Lennon wasn't there, so Kurt stood over the first person he saw.

"Uh, the article totally wasn't our idea, man," said a boy when he saw Kurt coming. "It was all Lennon, we swear."

"Where is he?" Kurt demanded.

"The printing lab," the boy said. "I mean, I don't know, but that's where he usually is."

"And that is…?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can take you there," said Blaine. "It's where we print all the Warbler event programs."

Kurt nodded at Blaine and turned back to the table. "Thanks."

Blaine took Kurt's hand and guided him out of the cafeteria and into the hall. As they ran up the main flight of stairs, Kurt felt his heart pumping again, but it was no longer out of anxiety. It was more reminiscent of when Blaine lead him to the senior commons to see the Warblers sing for the first time.

"I can't believe there's a whole lab just for printing that I've never heard of," said Kurt as they turned a corner. "At McKinley, the only printer worth using is strictly for Cheerios use only."

"Here we are," said Blaine, coming to a stop as they reached their destination.

They stood in front of an unassuming door Kurt had passed by hundreds of times without giving it a second thought. He reached for the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open. The smell of cigarette smoke permeated the air, causing Kurt to cough. Lennon sat in the far corner of the lab, at a computer. He saw them and grabbed a bottle of Fabreeze, spraying it into the air.

"Don't you people ever _knock_?" he barked as he quickly put out his cigarette.

Kurt waved his hand in front of his face as he approached him, trying to push the smell away. "There is _no way_ smoking is permitted on campus."

Lennon looked at him over his aviators. "What are you gonna do, Hummel, get me expelled? Half the teachers smoke in this room. They don't care."

"No," said Blaine. "We want something _else_ out of you."

"Oh, really?" said Lennon. "I'm _shaking_ in my _boots_."

Kurt stood over him, leaning against the desk. "You know what I've been doing all day?"

Lennon laughed. "Hell no. You're old news."

"I've been apologizing." Kurt said. "I've been going up to everyone I've hurt over the past week and I've been making amends."

"How nice," said Lennon. "You gonna write in your report to Princess Celestia on what you learned about the magic of friendship?"

Kurt sneered. "No, I want someone to apologize to _me_. What the hell were you thinking with that article? Nick wanted you to write about something _important_."

"The article Nick wanted was _boring_." Lennon whined. "You being a douche was already a hot topic, so how could I resist?"

"It was only hot because _you_ set in on fire," said Blaine. "What is _wrong_ with you? Are your own conversations too boring, so you have to listen in on everyone else's?"

Lennon rolled his eyes. "I'm an observer, ok? That's what I born to _do_. You guys were born to sing, I was born to listen."

"Publish Nick's article." Kurt growled.

"Or what?" Lennon asked. "What are you gonna do, eh Hummel? You gonna go to the dean and say I _bullied_ you? You think this shit hasn't happened to me _before_? I can criticize whomever I want as long as it's legit."

"You plastered it all over the school!" said Blaine, throwing up his hands.

Lennon shrugged. "Just trying to expand my readership." He turned off his computer and stood up. "Listen, you guys have _no idea_ the shit I've gotten away with at this school. I'm a _god_. I will never get in trouble and there is _nothing_ you can do about it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some lunch."

He pushed passed them and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. Kurt sank into the now empty chair, defeated. He was _this_ close to a full-on happy ending, but Lennon had to ruin it with his jerk-assery.

"What are we gonna do _now_?" Kurt asked.

Blaine squinted at the cigarette still smoking in a waste bin filled with paper. "I don't really know."

"I'm not giving up," said Kurt, standing. "I can still complain to the dean."

"Can you, though?" Blaine asked. "Lennon's right, he has gotten away with a lot. He's started so many rumors and never once gotten punished."

Kurt bit his lip. "I know, and some of us are still suffering from them. Seth told me half the school thinks he's a hermaphrodite."

"It isn't _fair_," said Blaine, sighing.

"I, I know, what we can do." Kurt said, his eyes lighting up.

"What?"

Kurt put his hands on Blaine's shoulders. "I want you to text everyone you know that Lennon started a rumor about."

* * *

Lennon pushed through the line; cutting into places to get the food he wanted before it ran out. He smiled when no one said anything, knowing that they were all terrified of what he might know about them. He paid and made his way over to his table, only to be stopped by Seth standing in his way.

"Move over, Middlesex," Lennon snapped.

"You call me that," said Seth calmly. "And yet you publish articles about Kurt like your some kind of queer ally."

"Why is everyone up in my face today?" Lennon asked. Seth raised his arm and pointed at him. "Uh, didn't your parents tell you it's rude to point? Oh, wait, you're an _orphan_."

"You told everyone I'm a hermaphrodite."

Lennon squinted. "Your point?"

Andrew stepped out from behind him. "You told everyone my parents are Nazis."

"Once again," said Lennon, annoyed. "Your _point_?"

Nick stood up from his seat at the Warbler table. "You told everyone I made out with my cousin!"

"You did!" said Lennon.

"I didn't know it at the time!" said Nick.

Another named Greg stood up. "Your sister broke up with me because you told her I was a _sex addict_!"

More boys stood up, announcing whatever Lennon had spread about them. He gripped his tray tightly and looked to his table of Dalton Gazette reporters, who just shrugged and shook their heads. A crowd started to gather around him.

"You _said_…"

"You _told_…"

"You _wrote_…"

An administrator pushed through the horde of students and peered down at him.

Lennon gulped. "Don't look at me like that! Don't you see what's happening? They're ganging up on me! I'm the _victim_ here!"

"_You_ started the dorm fire."

Lennon froze, breathing deeply. He turned around to see Blaine holding out his used cigarette that continued to smoke. "N-no, no I didn't."

Blaine stepped forward, smiling. "You were a sophomore when it happened, and it started in the sophomore wing. _And_ you continue to show a complete disregard for fire safety."

"Mr. Canyon, is this your cigarette?" the administrator asked, frowning.

"No!" Lennon cried. "It's not, you have to listen to me, ok? It's all a set up…"

The administrator sighed. "Mr. Canyon, please come with me to the dean's office. I think we're going to have to call your parents."

He turned around and the boys made a path for him. Lennon stiffly handed his tray off to another student, taking off his aviators and following him out of the cafeteria. Half the room burst into applause, and Kurt leapt into Blaine's arms for a hug.

"I can't believe it _worked_!" he said, squeezing his friend tightly.

"Well, this is what happens when you systematically piss _everyone_ off," said Blaine, laughing and pushing Kurt away. "I'm gonna go put this out properly, ok?"

Kurt grinned. "Ok."

He watched Blaine walk away, bouncing on the balls of his feet with happiness and satisfaction. Andrew came up to him, and put a hand on his arm.

"Just so you know," he whispered into Kurt's ear. "He may or may not have implied that you won't have to wait for him much longer."

Kurt blinked. "_Really_?"

"Yeah," said Andrew. "But if he does, or if he, like, breaks your heart or anything, Seth and I are, well, we're pretty open."

"Uh, ok," Kurt laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Seth came up to them and gave Kurt a hug. "Hey, I have an idea for you."

"Oh? What?" Kurt asked.

Seth pulled away and smiled. "I think I might put Secular Society on hold for a while."

"What? Why?"

"I think we should start a GSA." Seth said.

"A what?" asked Andrew.

"A Gay Straight Alliance," Seth explained. "Dalton _desperately_ needs one. Will you help me?"

"Gracious Gaga, of _course_ I will," said Kurt. "But can we eat first? I'm starving."

"Yeah," said Seth. "If you can assist me in getting through the lunch line. This is the first time I've not been able to bring food from home."

"I assure you, it isn't as scary as it looks," said Kurt, leading him towards it. "Thank you for convincing me to come back."

"Thank you for convincing me to be friends," said Seth.

"No problem," said Kurt, grinning.

* * *

The Warbler meeting was mostly useless, as the vote was still stuck in a three-way tie between _Origin of Love_, Natasha Bedingfield's _Strip Me_ and _Smells Like Teen Spirit_, but Kurt was glad to be there anyway. It was nice to feel like he belonged again. Previously, he only really felt like a Warbler because of the uniform, but now he had been through something with a few of these boys, and knew things about them beyond their names and vocal ranges. It wasn't New Directions, and it wasn't quite _home_, but it was enough for now.

Afterwards, Blaine suggested they go to the Lima Bean.

"Can we not, actually?" Kurt asked as he threw his blazer over his shoulders. "The Lima Bean has not been kind to us."

Blaine nodded. "You're right. Let's find someplace new, ok?"

"There's a bakery downtown with some pretty fantastic cupcakes," Kurt said, pushing the commons door open.

"Sounds delightful," said Blaine.

He held out his hand to Kurt, who took it with a smile.

THE END.

* * *

Thank you all so, so much for reading. I have loved and cherished every single review and reader. Until next time, my friends!


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